NY Lotto Odds and Prizes
NY Lotto offers great prizes, including a jackpot that is always worth at least $2 million and can be much, much higher. Find out exactly how you win payouts and see your odds of winning for each prize category.
Just like any traditional lottery game, the way to get a prize in Lotto is to ‘match’ the winning numbers. You win the jackpot, for example, if all six of the numbers that appear in the draw are the same as the six numbers on your ticket. Here are a couple of other key points to remember:
- The order the balls are drawn in does not matter. Numbers are put in ascending order on a ticket, but they do not have to be drawn this way.
- You can’t combine the numbers from multiple plays to win a prize. You must match enough numbers from one line on your ticket to win.
As well as the jackpot, there are also payouts for matching three, four or five numbers. If you get five out of the six numbers, there’s a chance to get an increased prize if you match the Bonus Ball.
The Bonus is a seventh number that is drawn from the remaining 53 balls left in the machine after the six main numbers have been selected. This cannot be substituted for any of the other balls – for example, matching two of the first six numbers and the Bonus Ball still counts as matching two, not three. It is part of the game purely to give you an opportunity to get a larger payout if you miss out on the jackpot by a single number.
There is a fixed payout of $1 for anyone who matches three numbers out of six. A percentage of the prize fund is allocated to each of the other four categories. The jackpot receives the biggest share, and rolls to the next draw if nobody wins.
This table shows you the level of prizes you can win, the percentage of the whole prize fund allocated to each level and your chances of winning those prizes.
The odds are shown for a single panel, but in Lotto the minimum is two plays for $1, so the overall odds of winning actually improve from 1 in 92 to 1 in 46 right away.
| Prize Level | Numbers Matched | Percentage of Prize Fund | Odds of winning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackpot | 6 | 75% | 1 in 45,057,474 | |
| 2nd | 5 + Bonus | 7.25% | 1 in 7,509,579 | |
| 3rd | 5 | 5.50% | 1 in 144,415 | |
| 4th | 4 | 6.25% | 1 in 2,180 | |
| 5th | 3 | 6% (Prize is fixed at $1) | 1 in 96 | |
| Overall odds of winning in any category are 1 in 46 | ||||
Cash or Annuity?
If you win the jackpot, you can choose to take the advertised amount as an annuity over 25 years, or go for the one-time cash option. The lump-sum option is always lower as it represents the amount of cash required to purchase the annuity.
The jackpot regularly climbs into the tens of millions of dollars, and has even reached $90 million. Check out the Winners page to see a table of the luckiest locations.
How to Claim
If you win a Lotto prize, the next step is to claim your money. There are a few different ways to go about redeeming a ticket, depending on how much you win.
Prizes up to and including $600 can normally be claimed from any lottery retailer, but it’s worth contacting the retailer in advance as policies may vary by store. If you play through a lottery courier, winnings will be paid automatically into your online account.
For prizes over $601 you will need to go to one of the 16 NY Lotto claim centers, or claim by mail. Go to the How to Claim page for more information.
You might need to pay tax on your NY Lotto winnings, depending on the value of your prize. New York State residents will have to pay federal and state taxes on prizes over $5,000. Those living in New York City and Yonkers will also have to pay a local tax on their winnings. Make sure you check with your tax advisors for advice on your own tax situation.