New York Lotto

• Next Estimated Jackpot USD 2,600,000
• USA
• 05/31/2020 03:21:00

The New York Lottery dates back to 1967, making it the third 'modern' lottery in the US after Puerto Rico and New Hampshire. Unusually, aside from the money paid out in prizes, the funds it raises for community causes are limited solely to education - in 1967, its slogan was 'Your Chance of a Lifetime to Help Education' and true to its word, it has since raised more than US$34 billion.

The current New York Lotto game is a 6 from 59 draw, with a further bonus ball chosen from the same pot. Tickets cost US$1, but you get two plays for that price. Any one play slip can be used to play up to ten games, in multiples of two, at a price of up to US$5.

You can choose a Quick Pick option to have your numbers chosen at random for you, and in typical American style, if you hand a valid ticket from the past 30 days to a retailer and ask them to "play it again", they'll print you a new ticket with the same numbers for the next draw, at the appropriate price.

How to Play

For a minimum price of US$1, you get two plays. Choose six numbers from 1-59 for each play. Your play slip can be used for anywhere up to ten games, in multiples of two, and there's a Quick Pick option if you want your numbers to be chosen at random. Select a Multi Draws option to enter the same numbers for two to five consecutive draws, or for longer runs of 10, 15 or 26 draws.

Entry is open almost 24/7 - from 04:00 a.m. until 03:30 a.m. the next morning. On draw nights, Wednesdays and Saturdays, entry closes early at 11:00 p.m., with the draw officially taking place at 11:21 p.m. Players are advised to buy tickets ahead of time, to avoid missing out on the draw due to the strict cut-off.

The current New York Lotto slogan is 'Hey You Never Know', which about sums up the 1 in 92 chances of winning a prize on any one line. Bearing in mind that you get two plays, the odds improve to 1 in 46 overall, with a 1 in 48 chance of matching three numbers. All prize tiers are allocated a percentage of the total prize fund - there are no fixed-sum payouts - and that fund consists of 40% of the total ticket revenues.

Fast Facts

The New York Lotto game was launched in 1978.

Its prize fund - 40% of ticket sales - is proportionally the lowest in the US.

Winners have 12 months from the date of the draw to claim their prize.

Trivia

The New York Lotto produces a 'field guide' for its players, which lists the many different kinds of Rich People to be found throughout the state - or as the guide describes them, 'Rich People of New York You Would Be Better Than If You Were Rich'. There's a semi-serious side to this, as the guide also touches on some of the ways in which people waste their riches - and encourages jackpot winners to spend theirs more carefully.

New York Lotto prizes have actually decreased in recent years - in April 2013, the jackpot's starting value was dropped from US$3 million to US$2 million, and on Thanksgiving weekend 2012, rollovers were reduced from US$300,000 to US$200,000.

Prize Tiers

New York Lotto has one of the simplest prize structures of any lottery anywhere, with only one prize tier affected by the bonus ball.

The odds given in the table below are per line - although it is worth remembering that you can only play multiples of two lines, which effectively doubles your chances of a win.