New York Lottery Games
The New York Lottery was founded in 1967, becoming one of the first US states to have such games. Since its launch, the New York Lottery has used its proceeds to help fund schools and education initiatives across the state and, to date, has distributed over $70 billion to such causes.
As of June 2021, the New York Lottery operates six state-level games in addition to being part of the multi-jurisdictional Powerball, Mega Millions and Cash4Life games.
Powerball
Powerball is one of the world’s most famous lottery games, as well as being one of the hardest to win!
Tickets cost $2.00, with players entering Powerball by choosing five numbers between 1 and 69 and a Powerball number between 1 and 26, with Quick Pick also being available. Players can also add Power Play to their ticket for $1.00 to multiply non-jackpot winnings up to 10 times!
Lotto
Lotto is New York’s main traditional lottery game, with players entering two sets of six numbers between 1 and 59 for just $1.00.
Jackpot winners have the choice of taking a lump-sum payout or annual payments over 26 years, with several secondary prize tiers also being available.
Mega Millions
Mega Millions is another world-famous lottery that is even harder to win than Powerball!
Entry costs $2.00, with players selecting five numbers between 1 and 70 and a Mega Ball number between 1 and 25, or opting for a Quick Pick for random selections. Players can also add a Megaplier to their ticket for $1.00, which multiplies non-jackpot winnings by up to 10 times.
Cash4Life
Cash4Life is a popular multi-jurisdictional game played across nine states, giving players the chance to win annual payouts for 20 years or a take-home lump-sum jackpot of $7 million.
Entry costs $2.00, with players choosing five main numbers from 1 to 60 and a Cash Ball number between 1 and 4. Quick Pick is also available for those who want to play with random selections.
Numbers
Numbers is a traditional Pick 3 game with various opportunities to win prizes. The jackpot is won by choosing three numbers from 0 to 9 and by matching them in order, with players able to bet on matching numbers in any order, too, or by matching the first or last two numbers.
Win 4
Win 4 is a traditional Pick 4 game with several ways to bet and win prizes. The jackpot is won by choosing four numbers from 0 to 9 and by matching them in order, with players also given the option to bet on matching these numbers in any order, different pairs of numbers, or combinations of numbers when identical selections are chosen.
Take 5
Take 5 is a simple 5 from 39 lottery that gives players the chance to win over $50,000 every evening. Players can manually choose five numbers between 1 and 39 or go for a Quick Pick. Advance Play is also available.
Quick Draw/Money Dots
Quick Draw and Money Dots draws take place every four minutes around the clock, but with an enforced break between 03:30 and 04:00.
Quick Draw is a Keno-style lottery in which 20 balls are drawn from a selection of 80, with players needing to match 10 balls to win the jackpot. Money Dots is an additional game that can be entered alongside Quick Draw or as a separate game, although the results are always published together.
Money Dots is a Quick Pick-only draw, with each $1.00 ticket providing players with eight random numbers. Following the Quick Draw, an additional draw takes place from the remaining 60 balls to produce the Money Dot, with prizes of up to $50 being available.
Pick 10
Pick 10 is a Keno-style lottery with different prize tiers to Quick Draw, but otherwise maintaining the same format.
Players must choose 10 numbers from 1 to 80 and match them against the 20 numbers drawn to win the jackpot.
The key difference between Pick 10 and Quick Draw is that by betting on 10 numbers in Pick 10, players only win by matching these exact 10 numbers, whereas in Quick Draw, players win prizes even if only a selection of their numbers are drawn.
New York Lottery Game Schedule
The table below provides an overview of the schedule for each New York lottery game.
| Lottery Game | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerball | 22:59 | 22:59 | 22:59 | ||||
| Lotto | 20:15 | 20:15 | |||||
| Mega Millions | 23:00 | 23:00 | |||||
| Cash4Life | 21:00 | 21:00 | 21:00 | 21:00 | 21:00 | 21:00 | 21:00 |
| Numbers | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 |
| Win 4 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 | 14:30 22:30 |
| Take 5 | 22:30 | 22:30 | 22:30 | 22:30 | 22:30 | 22:30 | 22:30 |
| Quick Draw/Money Dots | Every four minutes, but pausing from 03:30 to 04:00. | ||||||
| Pick 10 | 20:30 | 20:30 | 20:30 | 20:30 | 20:30 | 20:30 | 20:30 |
New York Lottery Odds and Jackpots
Money Dots offers the most attractive winning odds at just 1 in 400, albeit for a very small jackpot! The Cash4Life game perhaps offers the best-value odds at 1 in 21,846,048, with the opportunity to win $1,000 a day for 20 years or a $7 million lump sum.
| Lottery Game | Winning Odds | Minimum Jackpot |
|---|---|---|
| Mega Millions | 1 in 302,575,350 | $40 million |
| Powerball | 1 in 292,201,338 | $40 million |
| Lotto | 1 in 45,057,474 | $2 million |
| Cash4Life | 1 in 21,846,048 | $1,000 a day for life ($7 million if players take the lump-sum option) |
| Pick 10 | 1 in 8,911,711 | $500,000 |
| Quick Draw | 1 in 8,911,711 | $100,000 |
| Take 5 | 1 in 575,757 | $57,575.70 |
| Win 4 | 1 in 10,000 | $2,500 |
| Numbers | 1 in 1,000 | $250 |
| Money Dots | 1 in 400 | $50 |
New York Lottery Advance Play Options
Most New York Lottery games have Advance Play options, with the number of draws that players can enter at once being highlighted in the below table.
| Lottery Game | Advance Draws Players Can Enter |
|---|---|
| Numbers | Up to 7 |
| Win 4 | Up to 7 |
| Take 5 | Up to 7 |
| Pick 10 | Up to 7 |
| Lotto | Up to 26 |
| Powerball | Up to 26 |
| Mega Millions | Up to 26 |
| Cash4Life | Up to 28 |
New York Lottery Subscription
The New York Lottery offers a subscription service that enables players to order, renew and manage their Mega Millions, Cash4Life and Lotto entries online, as well as to enhance existing Advance Play options.
Players can enter draws for up to one year at a time, in addition to a group subscription for those who play with friends, family members or work colleagues.
Prizes of under $600 can be credited to the subscription account and toward future payments.
New York Lottery Scratch-Offs
Scratch-offs offer a variety of prizes, with jackpots typically being proportionate to the cost of the ticket. New York Lottery scratch-offs range in price from $1.00 to $30, with jackpots ranging from $100 to $10 million!
In general, the overall odds of winning a prize range from 1 in 3 to 1 in 5 across all scratch-offs. The odds of winning the highest jackpots on the most lucrative scratchcards are typically around 1 in 3.5 million.
The New York Lottery specifies that scratch-offs should be removed from sale once all available jackpots have been claimed.
As with lottery games, some scratch-offs provide regular payout prizes rather than lump sum options.
Detailed information is available on the official New York Lottery website about scratch-offs, prize tiers, payouts and odds.
New York Lottery Tax Information
The tables below highlight the taxes paid on New York Lottery prizes. Although the New York Lottery withholds tax at source, U.S. citizens and residents are still required to disclose wins on their tax returns.
New York Lottery Taxes for U.S. citizens and residents amount to 32.82% on prizes exceeding $5,000, as detailed below.
| Prize Value | Tax | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Over $5,000 | State Taxes | 8.82% |
| Federal Taxes | 24% |
New York Lottery Taxes for New York City residents amount to 36.696% on prizes exceeding $5,000, as detailed below.
| Prize Value | Tax | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Over $5,000 | State Taxes | 8.82% |
| Federal Taxes | 24% | |
| City Taxes | 3.876% |
New York Lottery Taxes for Yonkers residents amount to 34.297% on prizes exceeding $5,000, as detailed below.
| Prize Value | Tax | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Over $5,000 | State Taxes | 8.82% |
| Federal Taxes | 24% | |
| City Taxes | 1.477% |
New York Lottery Taxes for non-U.S. citizens, non-residents or anyone that fails to provide a Social Security Number amount to 38.82% on all prizes of over $600, as detailed below.
| Prize Value | Tax | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Over $600 | State Taxes | 8.82% |
| Federal Taxes | 30% |
How to Claim New York Lottery Payouts
Prize winners have a range of available options for claiming their winnings.
Prizes of up to $600 can be claimed by:
- Visiting any licensed New York Lottery retailer.
- Scheduling an appointment at a New York Lottery Customer Service Center.
- Mailing in a completed claim form.
Players only need their ticket to claim winnings at a retailer, with players who visit a Customer Service Center or claiming via mail needing to provide a valid government-issued ID and a completed claim form in addition to their ticket.
Prizes exceeding $601 cannot be claimed at retailers. Players can:
- Schedule an appointment at a New York Lottery Customer Service Center.
- Visit a local Prize Center.
- Mail in a completed claim form.
To claim these prizes, players must provide a valid social security number in addition to their ticket, completed claim form and ID.
Claim forms can be downloaded directly from the New York Lottery here .
How to Contact the New York Lottery
| Operator | Games | Official Website | Main Address | Local Tel. No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Lottery | Powerball Lotto Mega Millions Cash4Life Numbers Win 4 Take 5 Quick Draw Money Dots Pick 10 | https://nylottery.ny.gov/ | NYS Gaming Commission, One Broadway Center, P.O. Box 7500 Schenectady, NY 12301-7500 | +1 (518) 388-3300 |
Which New York Lottery scratch-off has the biggest jackpot?
While the value of the most lucrative New York Lottery scratch-offs change periodically, the biggest jackpots on offer are typically $10 million.
Can I buy New York Lottery tickets online?
No. New York Lottery tickets are only available from authorized lottery retailers across the state; however, players can sign up and pay for the New York Lottery subscription service online.
How much tax is paid on New York Lottery winnings?
Tax of between 32.82% and 38.82% applies on New York Lottery winnings, depending on where players live and their citizenship and residency status.
For U.S. citizens and residents, a 32.82% tax applies on all New York Lottery prizes of over $5,000, of which 8.82% is state tax and 24% is federal tax.
Residents of New York City pay an additional 3.876% in city taxes, amounting to a tax rate of 36.696% on their lottery prizes.
Residents of Yonkers pay an additional 1.477% tax on top of state and federal taxes, amounting to a tax rate of 34.297%.
Non-U.S. citizens or non-residents pay the highest tax rates of all, with 8.82% state tax and 30% federal tax applying to all prizes over $600.
How do New York Lottery winners get paid?
Payouts depend on the specific rules and structures of each game. While some lottery games offer the choice of receiving regular payments or a lump sum, others only pay out a lump sum.
How long does it take to receive New York Lottery winnings?
Lottery winnings of up to $600 can be paid out immediately at any authorized lottery retailer. Non-jackpot prizes of higher values typically take one to two days to be paid out, with jackpots usually being paid within five to 10 working days after making a claim.
How is the $1,000 a day Cash4Life jackpot paid out?
Players who win the Cash4Life jackpot have the option to receive 20 annual payments of $365,000 or a lump sum jackpot of $7 million. Another benefit of Cash4Life is that all jackpot winners win the full prize if there is more than one winner during a specific draw!
