N.Y. Lottery: We've got a game for you
Posted: 1/31/2007 3:24:00 AM
Whether you're looking for instant gratification or prefer to dream big with millions in the bank, the New York Lottery has a game for you.
Lottery machines spew out tickets that could be worth millions of dollars if the astronomical odds are beaten.
Store counters often have racks displaying dozens of colorful choices for those wanting instant "scratch-off" tickets.
Some people play their favorite numbers twice a day, fearing their Daily Number will surely come in if they skip a bet.
You can spend as little as 50 cents for a ticket, or as much as $20 for a single scratch-off ticket that could pay you $10,000 a week for life.
Officials with the New York Lottery — the most popular in the country, with $6.8 billion in reported net revenues last year — count on their players to have a game of choice, so they are more than willing to offer something for everyone.
"We're very aggressive and players like that, they like that choice," said former Lottery Director Nancy Palumbo, who left the Lottery late last year.
Like any successful business, the Lottery closely monitors sales of each game, and asks players and retailers to participate in surveys and focus groups to get ideas what might be popular.
New York usually has about 40 varieties of instant tickets for sale at any given time. Even occasions such as Mother's Day or Christmas can be reasons enough to issue new tickets, featuring pink bouquets or candy canes and snowmen.
They even know which instant games are the most popular in any given week. Often they are the newest ones, along with Win for Life and Cashword.
Ideas for new games even come from other lotteries.
"Lotteries don't compete with each other. They share ideas freely," said Patricia McQueen, lottery editor of International Gaming and Wagering Business magazine. "If something works well in one state, it will be suggested in another state."
But approval by the state Legislature is needed whenever the Lottery wants to offer a new type of game, as was done with Quick Draw and Mega Millions.
Instant 'scratchers'
More than half of the Lottery's sales come from instant tickets, and there are always dozens of varieties to play. On average, two new games are introduced each month.
Bets: $1, $2, $5, $10 or $20.
Odds: Vary per game, but roughly one ticket in five wins something.
Tickets costing $10 or $20 have slightly better odds. The $2 Win for Life game is the Lottery's most popular instant game. The chance of winning the top prize, $1,000 a week for life, is 1 in 7.52 million.
Payout: 65 percent returned to players.
Quick Draw
Players may choose one to 10 numbers; 20 numbers are randomly selected from a field of 80.
Drawing: Every 4 minutes, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and 4 p.m. to midnight.
Bets: $1 to $10.
Odds: As low as 1 in 3.86. The chance of winning the top prize of $100,000 for a $1 bet and matching 10 numbers is 1 in 8,911,711.
Payout: 60 percent returned to players.
Daily Numbers
Players select a three-digit number; the winning number is selected from three sets of balls, each containing the numbers 0 through 9.
Drawing: Twice daily, around 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Bets: 50 cents or $1. Can bet for an exact match drawn, matching the three digits in any order, or match the front or back pairs. For an additional $1, players can get an "Instant Win" option, in which three numbers will be printed below the selected numbers. If any digit matches, $1 to $500 is won instantly.
Odds: As low as 1 in 100. Odds of matching three numbers exactly are 1 in 1,000 and would pay $500 on a $1 bet. For the Instant Win option, odds are 1 in 5.31, and winning $500 is 1 in 25,000.
Payout: 50 percent returned to players.
Win 4
Players select a four-digit number; the winning number is selected from four sets of balls, each containing the numbers 0 through 9.
Drawing: Twice daily, around 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Bets: 50 cents or $1. Can bet for an exact match drawn, matching the four digits in any order, or match the front or back pairs. For an additional $1, players can get an Instant Win option, in which four numbers will be printed below the selected numbers. If any digit matches, $1 to $500 is won instantly.
Odds: As low as 1 in 100. Odds of matching four numbers exactly are 1 in 10,000 and would pay $5,000 on a $1 bet. For the Instant Win option, odds are 1 in 5.31, and winning $500 is 1 in 25,000.
Payout: 50 percent returned to players.
Mega Millions
Players select five numbers from a field of 56, and the Mega number from a field of 46. Tickets are sold in 12 states for the same drawings, allowing for larger jackpots.
Drawing: Every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
Bets: $1. Tickets matching all five numbers plus the Mega number win the jackpot. Other cash prizes are given for matching as few as three numbers, or even just matching the Mega number.
Overall odds: 1 in 39.89. The chance of winning the jackpot, which starts at $12 million, is 1 in 175,711,536.
Payout: 50 percent returned to players.
Take Five
Players select five numbers from a field of 39.
Drawing: Daily, around 11:21 p.m.
Bets: $1. Matching three, four or all five numbers results in a cash prize, the size depends on the total bet and number of winners. Matching two numbers results in a free play.
Overall odds: 1 in 8.7. The chance of winning the jackpot, which is split among all first-place winners, is 1 in 575,757.
Payout: 50 percent returned to players.
Lotto
Players select six numbers from a field of 59. Two sets of numbers are given for each $1 bet.
Drawing: Wednesday and Saturdays around 11:21 p.m.
Bets: $1. Tickets with all six winning numbers win the jackpot. Smaller prizes are awarded for matching five, four or three numbers.
Overall odds: 1 in 46.02. The chance of winning the jackpot, which starts at $3 million, is 1 in 45,057,474.
Payout: 40 percent returned to players.
Pick 10
Players select 10 numbers from a field of 80; 20 numbers are randomly selected.
Drawing: 9 p.m. daily.
Bets: $1. Matching all 10 numbers wins $500,000; other cash prizes are awarded for matching nine, eight, seven, six or no numbers.
Odds: 1 in 17. The chance of matching 10 numbers is 1 in 8,911,711.
Payout: 50 percent returned to players.
Source: The Journal News
