CGC Video Games Authenticates a Minnesota State Lottery Cartridge, Once Thought to be an Urban Legend

CGC Video Games™ has certified one of the most elusive Nintendo products in the collecting hobby — a 1991 Minnesota State Lottery cartridge! This ultra-rare cartridge has a unique history and had long been considered an urban legend among video game collectors. But all that has changed now that CGC Video Games’ expert graders were able to certify the cartridge as authentic.

The NES – Lotto America Demonstration cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System (1991) received a “No Grade” (NG) designation. CGC Video Games uses this designation when it authenticates an item but declines to assign a numerical grade due to the game’s condition or circumstance, or if it is otherwise unique.

Apart from a few forum posts and a screenshot from a lost VHS demonstration tape, the Minnesota Lottery cartridge was ultimately considered lost media. Not much was known about the history of the cartridge’s creation, or what happened to it after. That all changed earlier in 2024, when an authentic example of the cartridge was discovered during a house cleaning in San Antonio, Texas. After loading the game on an NES, the owners (and later, CGC Video Games’ staff) confirmed that footage of the gameplay on the cartridge matched the footage seen on the VHS demonstration tape.

“It is such a thrilling experience to hold a mythical piece of video game history in your hands,” said Kenneth Thrower, Director of Grading at CGC Video Games. “We at CGC Video Games are honored to grade such an interesting cartridge.”

The cartridge was developed by Minnesota’s lottery vendor, Control Data Corp., as a way to boost state lottery revenue. The idea was that lottery players would connect their Nintendo Entertainment System to a modem and use the cartridge to pick numbers for Lotto America, Gopher Five and the Daily Three.

Control Data Corp. prepared a statewide test of the cartridge’s capabilities in late 1991. The company also planned to purchase 10,000 NES consoles and modems to distribute throughout the state for the test. The impending demonstration drew national attention, with many denouncing the idea. Around this time, public interest groups were blaming the NES for “addicting” children to video games, and the idea of turning the console into a gambling device alarmed some parents and activists.

As a result, nearly every member of the Minnesota State Senate signed a petition letter calling for Control Data Corp. to cancel the impending test, threatening to cut the state lottery’s entire advertising budget if the demand wasn’t met. In response, Control Data Corp. acquiesced and cancelled the demonstration.

Upon evaluation of the cartridge, CGC Video Games determined that its original label was removed and replaced with the current label — a more generic NES – LA Demonstration label, dated a month after the demonstration's cancellation. According to other sources, Control Data Corp. tried to market the game outside of Minnesota after the cancellation using this label.

For more information about this CGC-certified Minnesota Lottery cartridge, check out the video below.