How to win the lottery in ny

A buck and some luck is all you need! Learn how to play New York LOTTO, one of many great lottery games available in the Empire State. 

In a Nutshell…

New York LOTTO is a draw game only available in New York.

Cost: $1.00 (for two plays)

Jackpot: Rolling jackpots start at $2,000,000

Drawings: Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15 PM EST

Overall odds of winning a prize: 1 in 92.05 (per single panel)

Biggest Two Step jackpot in history: $2.9 million (April 2006)

How to Play NY LOTTO

Select 6 numbers from 1-59, then wait for your drawing! You can pick your own number or Quick Pick. NY LOTTO is similar to other jackpot games like Mega Millions and Powerball. The more numbers you match, the more you win.

What's the Bonus Number?

The Bonus Numbers is the 7th number drawn, and it's kind of like a freebie. Match 5 of 6 numbers plus the Bonus Number to win 2nd prize.

New York LOTTO Prizes

There are 5 ways to win a New York LOTTO prize. LOTTO has has a parimutuel prize structure, which means that the jackpot is determined by number of tickets sold. Prize amounts vary by drawing, but the average prizes for each level are as follows.

Jackpot - $2,000,000+

For each Lotto draw, 40% of sales is allocated as prize money. The Jackpot is 75% of this amount.

Second Prize 

For each Lotto draw, 40% of sales is allocated as prize money. The Second Prize is 7.25% of this amount.

Third Prize

For each Lotto draw, 40% of sales is allocated as prize money. The Third Prize is 5.50% of this amount.

Fourth Prize

For each Lotto draw, 40% of sales is allocated as prize money. The Fourth Prize is 6.25% of this amount.

Fifth Prize - $1

• If you match 3 of the 6 numbers, you win the fixed amount of $1, which is the game's lowest prize.
• If you match 4 of the 6 numbers, you win 6.25% of the pot which averages out to around $25.
• The third place prize for matching 5 of the 6 numbers wins you 5.5% of the jackpot. Now I know what you are thinking, “why is this percentage smaller than the fourth place prize?” The answer is simple. Even though the percentage is smaller, there are less winners to split the pot with, bringing the average total amount won to around $2,000.
• As for the top prizes, matching 5 of the 6 numbers PLUS the bonus number will win you 7.25% of the pot, averaging around $100,000.
• Last but not least, a perfect 6 for 6 wins you the rolling jackpot which starts out at an impressive $2,000,000!

Are You A Winner?

Winning numbers are drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:15 PM EST. If you bought your LOTTO ticket in person, prizes up to $600 are redeemable from any NY lottery retailer. If your prize is $601 or more you can: schedule an appointment at a NY Lottery Customer Service Center, redeem directly at a local prize center, or mail to the lottery. 

If you’re a Jackpocket player…

Jackpocket players get automatically notified by email when they win and you check if you’re a winner anytime in the app. No prize left behind!

For prizes up to $600 (the threshold amount in New York), Jackpocket credits your account for the full amount. If you win $601 or more, we arrange to have the ticket securely delivered to you so that you can claim your prize from the state lottery.

We all remember how serious things got with that $2 billion Powerball. This Mega Millions jackpot is getting there.

The first Mega drawing of 2023 is Tuesday night, and it's already the sixth-largest jackpot in lottery history, ballooning to an estimated $785 million after no one nailed all the numbers Friday.

That marked 22 straight drawings without anyone matching all six numbers. And the pool will likely continue to rise. (Check past winning numbers here).

People are rushing to gas stations to get their lotto tickets, even though the odds are one in more than 300 million. Pei-Sze Cheng reports.

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One lucky person in Ohio did win $1 million in Friday's drawing, and New York state saw nine players win the third-tier prize of $10,000. Many of us would be more than happy with that, of course.

The $785 million jackpot is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for a cash payout, which for Tuesday night's drawing would be an estimated $395 million.

The huge jackpot comes less than two months after the largest lottery prize ever, a $2.04 billion Powerball prize that was won on Nov. 8 in California. So far, that big winner hasn't stepped forward to claim the prize.

So what are your chances? Well, they're not great if you do play -- and they're zero if you don't. But there is a chance.

Someone has to win eventually, even with the miserable jackpot odds of one in 302.6 million. Pro tip: Avoid quick-pick.

Think you have a chance at winning the Lottery? Well, you do! But its a very, very small chance. Here are some things that are more likely to happen to you.

How Do You Play?

Each ticket costs $2 to play. Players also have the option to add a "Megaplier" option to their tickets. That addition costs $1, and can potentially multiply any non-jackpot prize a player wins.

To play, players are asked to pick five numbers between 1 and 70, and to choose one Mega Ball.

Players can either pick their own numbers or can have the machine select numbers for them. Tickets must be purchased one hour or more before the drawing.

How Do You Win Prizes?

There are nine different ways to win prizes in the game.

If you match all five numbers and the Mega Ball, you win the jackpot. The odds of doing so are around 1-in-302 million.

Here are the other eight prize levels. All of these prizes are subject to the “Megaplier,” which can increase the given prize.

• Match five numbers: $1 million
• Match four numbers and the Mega Ball: $10,000
• Match four numbers: $500
• Match three numbers and the Mega Ball: $200
• Match three numbers: $10
• Match two numbers and the Mega Ball: $10
• Match one number and the Mega Ball: $4
• Match the Mega Ball: $2

When Do Drawings Take Place?

The drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET. The deadline for ticket sales is 10:45 p.m. ET.

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