Updated: Number of states the game will be expanded to
By Todd Northrop
New England's Lucky for Life lottery game is set to expand into an additional eight states starting next week.
The multi-state game offers a grand prize of $1,000 a day for life, and has drawings every Monday and Thursday.
Uniquely, the game offers a another lifetime prize for the second prize level — $25,000 a year for life.
Both "for Life" prizes are payable for the length of a winner's life. At minimum, 20 years of payments are guaranteed; however payments could last much longer, based on the lifespan of a winner.
Tickets go on sale in the expansion states on Jan. 27, and cost $2 each. The first drawing the new jurisdictions will participate in is Jan. 29.
Both the game's number matrix and its prize payouts will be changing after the Jan. 26 drawing.
To play Lucky for Life starting Jan. 27, players will select five numbers out of 48 and then choose a "Lucky Ball" number from 1 to 18. Of course, they can also just ask for a quick pick (random numbers selected by the lottery terminal).
If the player matches all five numbers plus the Lucky Ball they win the top prize of $1,000 a day for life or can take a one-time cash payment.
The new prizes offered starting Jan. 27 are:
- Match 5 numbers plus the Lucky Ball: $1,000 a day for life
- Match 5 numbers: $25,000 a year for life
- Match 4 numbers plus the Lucky Ball: $5,000
- Match 4 numbers: $200
- Match 3 numbers plus the Lucky Ball: $150
- Match 3 numbers: $20
- Match 2 numbers plus the Lucky Ball: $25
- Match 2 numbers: $3
- Match 1 number plus the Lucky Ball: $6
- Match the Lucky Ball only: $4
Odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 30.8 million. Overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 7.8.
The new jurisdictions participating in the Lucky for Life game starting Jan. 27 are:
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- South Carolina
Delaware will be retiring its Delaware Cash 5 game on Jan. 24 to make room for the new multi-state offering.
Lucky for Life began as an in-state lottery game in Connecticut in 2009. The game was called Lucky-4-Life.
In March, 2012, the game was opened up as a multi-state game, adding the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
After Jan. 26 the Lucky for Life slogan will be changed from "New England's Game" to "The Game of a Lifetime".
Drawings for the game are held in Hartford, Connecticut, using a traditional lottery ball machine, every Monday and Thursday at 10:38pm (EST).
I'll probably buy at least one line each drawing.
Hmmm lets see....what are the odds for the jackpot? 30,000,000 to 1.
The jackpot is fixed at 5.7 million dollars?
There is a possibility you may have to split it?
Tickets are $2?
What are the odds for second prize on Megamillions ?
about 17,000,000 to 1?
you don't have to split second prize unless there are umpty bajillion winners?
the ticket costs $2 with the megaplier?
You have a chance at $5,000,000 for second?
You also have a chance at a much larger prize?
How stupid does the lucky for life game look?
I win often on this game. I haven't won anything in MM for months. I'll give this game first priority then PB then MM.
Think....you posted the wrong odds for Mega millions...it is much higher than what you stated.
I have a Season ticket for the old game from Massachusetts. Now can play in Kentucky next week.
Bleudog101,
Welcome to Lottery Past!! Good luck to you in this game and all that you play!
I'll be playing this game as well as long as they keep it to a twice a week schedule.
5.7 is the cash option I believe. If an 18 year old hits the jackpot and takes the annunity and lives to be 90 years old, he'll collect over 26 million before taxes...
There isn't a Megaplier in this game.
It's 1 in 18.5 million for the Mega Millions second prize of $1 million, so pretty close to what Think said. Check the latest prize payout table to see: https://www.lotterypost.com/game/45/prizes/2015/1/20
That being said I don't think a $1 million prize is the same as winning the $1,000 per day for life prize, so I don't necessarily agree.
Odds for SECOND prize in MM is 1 in 18,492,204.
He didn't say that Win for Life had a multiplier. Just making comparisons between games as far odds and the chance of splitting a prize in case of multiple winners.
I like MM because it's still a buck a tic, and if I want to spend 2 bucks, it's my decision, I'm not having to spend 2 bucks on one tic with no upgrade in prize money.
This game will do ok, it already has a following, but man, nobody seems to realize that the price has doubled on a lot of these new games.
I've done okay on the MM. I'll tell you what game I haven't won on in months is the powerball and the new matrix won't help so this game might just substitute that at least when the pb jackpot is sub $150M.
Dang I don't see Oklahoma on the list
I would wager that Reagan would be on Mr Rushmore before California gets this game.
NC isn't on the list either!!!
That was way too funny. Too bad you guys can't get Powerplay or Megaplier, most times it does not pay doing the paramuteul thing...I check all the time.
At a recent lottery consortium, one of the game managers (whose lottery isn't part of the L4L expansion) said that their comptroller cringes at the term "for life," so they avoid participating in those games. I guess some states would just hate to have a player live a long time
I'm only 5 minutes from Kentucky. I might buy some tickets every once in a while.
I was starting at the starting line 75C5 = 17,259,390 for the second prize MM odds. I know they calculate it by saying you could win other prizes.
Also the $365,000 for life will put most people in punitive tax brackets for a long time.
If you win the MM second prize most people will only have punitive taxes for the year they claim.
Most of my posts are intended to be baseline.
If you have a really good tax attorney I would bet your mileage would vary...but how much does a really good tax attorney cost?
I don't know.
Not sure if my Season ticket from Massachusetts does this for top prize, but I do know you can take the lump sum for the secondary prize. I'm pretty sure you could with the top prize too alleviating that long term tax issue you mentioned.
Still waiting for the Kentucky Lottery to say something about this new lottery, nothing on their website just now. Come on Chip Polston!
Think....just went to MA lottery site. It said it is a para-mutuel games for payouts on large jackpots (ugh).
So you can take cash option of $5.75 million for ONE winner; secondary prize is $390,000 ONE winner. All pre-tax of course.
Ding...ding...ding...now the game isn't starting to look so good. Is it?
No, I've only had a couple of checks come here for like $10 each. I do not like Para-mutuel lotteries in the least. They'll be making money hand over foot. Haven't yet researched the new matrix yet, will once the new ticket arrives next week from MA.
I would play this game for a couple tickets a draw, if it was offered in Texas.
Gonna give it a try....sorry millionaire monoply was trashed
NY/NJ Cash For Life has odds of 1-21.8 million for the top prize of 1K a day for life. This has slightly worse odds, and with a bit over 60 drawings there has only been a few jackpot winners, maybe 4 if I'm correct and 2 second prize winners (1K a week)
Great, a game that hasn't been won in over 2 years is getting harder. Nice.
Yeah...because winning anything less than $150 million is so UNACCEPTABLE...lmfao
Sounds great. But if you win in New York State, New York assembly speaker Sheldon "TARNISHED" Silver probably will get some of your winnings!
That is a great option, being able to take it all at once. Big difference to me in winning that large amount vs getting 365k a yr before taxes.