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.
Why is Texas not on that list????
The gamesters have changed the game's number matrix, not to make it easier to win, but it may add some spice to the game.
Good Luck to the LP players.
Maybe it will be like PB and MM were at their beginnings, it will add states as it grows in popularity.
Read the fine print.
from our state lottery, MN.
Prizes and Odds of Winning
Approximate odds are 1 in 7.769.
*Prize amounts may be split if there are multiple winners.
it means you split that $7,000 per week, $25,000 per year or $5,000 between other players if more than 1 player wins.
$5,000 split between 5 or 10 winners becomes $1,000 or $500.
$7,000 per week split between 2 or 3 becomes $3,500 or $2,333 per week.
+20-year minimum. Certain "for life" prize limitations may apply and a cash option may be available.
$1,000/day for life prize will be paid weekly.
I'll try it for a few draws. I like that you can win $25 with only 2 numbers +1 Lucky Ball. PB 2+1 is only $7.
" Cringes at the term " for life".. reminds me of a time when my Parents Liebherr refrigerator " died" after 5 years, when my Dear Mother asked the Dealer why the refrigerator would conk out so fast, a new Salesperson said " Perhaps that is the " life of the unit".. l heard that My Father at the time gave this guy a look that would .. l had heard that this person had been " transferred" out
very tough game....I have never had anything more than the lucky ball ..and that was from buying 5 tickets or more at any given time.I never played every week.
Sure that's just my sh^t luck but this jp was seldom won since it's inception with all the states that are involved.
It's only highlight is the $1000 a day factor. I don't know why these people can't just come up with a game that someone is guaranteed to win.
I hardly think it would affect their bottom line
I agree. Like I said in another post, they took a game that hasn't been won in 2 years and made it tougher. In the first year it came out, i believe 2 ppl won and it's been downhill ever since. I wish they would make it easier.
You could always play the 50/50 super draw at $5 a tickets to win 65k after taxes.
I'm thinking that with 11 more states being added that the jackpot will be hit more often or at least I hope so.
I don't understand why, if Kentucky is in on this that they have no announced or played any advertisements yet. Also last night they still had Monopoly Millionaire's club in the machine...though it is disabled. Was hoping this new game would be in its place.
Come on Chip Polston, I know you read these posts!
So the new Season Ticket from Massachusetts just arrived in the Bluegrass with the new matrix/numbers. Sad thing is it is only good for the drawing 29 JAN 15, then it expires. Wouldn't it be nice to win on my final draw?
MA lottery just posted on FB that the Lucky for life is almost 3 years old. Since its inception there have been seven top prize winners and 176 second prize winners. Now I know KY will join in the coming weeks along with two other states. Not a whole lot of winners for the top prize.
Lucky for Life is not a rolling jackpot game. The more LFL tickets sold, the worse the potential payout is to players. The exact opposite of what many players are accustomed to. The main problem with LFL is the top prize $1,000 per day ($5.75 million cash value) is immediately para-mutuel - if even few as two win, it automatically splits. While that was highly unlikely to occur in the past, it very much could occur as more states join in.
Personally, I feel Powerball is a better route verses LFL for winning a decent chunk of cash - speaking of the 2nd tier $2 million prize by ponying up the extra $1 for Powerplay ... well until July, which is a bit more time, when Powerball changes to the new matrix with the 2nd tier prize is no longer doubled for Powerplay, and the odds go beyond stratospheric (currently 1 in ~5.1 million; in contrast, LFL is 1 in ~30 million) to totally insane (1 in ~9.2 million) to just hit 2nd tier let alone the jackpot at 1 in ~286 million.
The 2nd place LFL prize $25,000 per year ($390K cash value) can also be para-mutuel, but, generally, only if more than 20 hit. That's more reasonable. Shame the top prize doesn't have a threshold, though I understand why it doesn't, since some players could game that by purchasing multiple tickets with the same numbers. Lottery officials have pulled out all the stops to prevent LFL from going deep into the red, including relatively low thresholds for para-mutuel payouts, and no rolling jackpots nor roll-downs.
The 59% overall payout is nice, but don't be fooled, The lower tier prizes are really low amounts. While that's good for getting more playtime, and more chances of winning, the odds at 1 in ~30 million for a top prize of $5.75 million that could split isn't all that great. Game doesn't excite me, though it seems something that would be worthwhile playing every once in a while. Though, being that the PA Lottery doesn't offer LFL, I won't have to ponder such a decision.
I run to New Jersey to buy tickets. I have been getting small wins on it. I get nothing with Powerball or Mega. So I will say bring it to PA.