DC Lottery's licensing of charitable gaming activities has helped local nonprofits raise more than $136.5 million in support of social causes.

D.C., Virginia, and Maryland-based charities can offer raffles, with the provision that these drawings are held in the District of Columbia.

Organizations seeking to conduct such fundraisers must obtain a license from the board, with D.C. Lottery employees supervising the drawings to assure fairness.

Lucky for Life began in Connecticut in 2009; it expanded in 2015 to include the District of Columbia, and is now offered by 17 jurisdictions.

On January 31, 2010, most U.S. lotteries with either Mega Millions or Powerball began offering both games.

[5] On September 19, 2010, the D.C. Lottery had entered the wrong Powerball numbers into its computer system.

[8] This was brought forth in the case of Christie v. the NCAA in which then New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R) wanted to legalize sports wagering in his and other states and territories (Including the District) but professional sports organizations including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Major League Baseball, National Football League and the National Hockey League opposed such operations.

On September 21, 2021 the D.C. City Council passed, and Mayor Bowser signed into law that legalized sports wagering, the D.C. Lottery was tasked with overseeing the regulation of sports wagering licenses and sportsbook facility.

This is consistent with states like New Jersey which also prohibit wagering on collegiate athletics at big universities like Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton.

Players can access DC iLottery from their smart phone, computer, or tablet, and once registered for an account, can play DC3, DC4, DC5, DC Keno, Race2Riches games, and more while physically in the district and not within an area of the District where lottery play is prohibited.