North Dakota joining Lucky for Life multi-state game
By Todd Northrop
Wild Card 2, a multi-state lottery game currently offered in four states, is ending with the Feb. 24 drawing.
The lottery game that has been played in one form or another for more than 20 years is being dropped after a fall in popularity, according to lottery officials.
Wild Card 2 offers two plays for $1. It got its start in 1994 as Tri-West Lotto and was offered only in Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. In 1998, it was changed to Wild Card and was finally revised to Wild Card 2 a year later. Recently the game went through a logo change that dropped the "2" from the title.
The game is currently played in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
"Just like with our scratch tickets, lotto games have a life cycle and it's necessary sometimes to end a game whose playership has fallen off to pave the way for new games to be implemented," South Dakota Lottery executive director Norm Lingle said.
During the game's lifetime, nearly 20 Wild Card 2 jackpots were won in South Dakota. Most recently, the jackpot was hit twice in the state during the month of November — for $270,000 in the Nov. 11, 2015, drawing and $215,000 in the Nov. 24, 2015, drawing.
In North Dakota, Wild Card 2 players have won more than $14.5 million, including 18 jackpots of $100,000 or more, since the state added the game in September 2004.
Wild Card 2 tickets will continue to be sold at all lottery retailers through the final drawing on Feb. 24, 2016. For players who purchase advance draws, the last draw at which they can purchase nine draws in advance is Jan. 27, 2016.
Lucky for Life coming to North Dakota
To replace the departing Wild Card 2 game, the North Dakota Lottery will launch its first new multi-state draw game in six years, Lucky for Life, on Jan. 31.
Currently played in 16 states plus Washington, D.C., Lucky for Life offers better odds than Powerball or Mega Millions but with a smaller and distinctively styled top prize. It is also the only game offered in the US in which the top two prizes are "for life" prizes.
"We're always looking and researching game ideas and trying to add to our product mix to keep things fresh and add some variety for players," North Dakota Lottery Director Randy Miller said.
The top prize in Lucky for Life is $1,000 a day for life, paid weekly for a minimum of 20 years. Players pay $2 for a ticket with five numbers and one "Lucky Ball" number, and must match all six numbers to claim the jackpot.
Second prize is $25,000 a year for life. Eight other levels of matches yield prizes from $3 to $5,000. Drawings are held every Monday and Thursday.
Odds of winning the Lucky for Life jackpot are about 1 in 31 million, which Miller said is "very good" compared with Powerball's 1-in-292-million odds and Mega Millions' 1-in-259-million odds.
"We're very excited, and I think our players will be excited as well, to get a new game out there," Miller said.
Bryan Ellison, manager at Superpumper in south Bismarck, said he's excited to have another draw game to offer customers, and he also hasn't noticed a dip in ticket sales.
"When the jackpot gets up to a major amount like the Powerball is right now, we see an increase, but most of the time people come in and just buy one and don't think another thing about it. It's just habit," he said.
Does "Draw Game" mean balls, not computers? RNG?
This game is played on Monday and Thursday. Smart! MM & PB days off.
Lucky for Life is definitely competition for MM & PB bets.
May the best games win.
"Draw game" means there is a drawing. Click the Game Information link at the bottom of the story to see the game particulars (including draw type).
Thank You Todd. I just did with your help. You are the best.
It must be a "Manic Monday" for me. A song by the Bangles in the 1980's.
I'd like to know what happens to the money if the jackpot is not won between now and the time the game ends.
It will be awarded to players who funded the jackpot, right? Right??? <crickets>
Maybe they'll do what they do with the EuroMillions when it caps out at the highest amount the JP can be, it is split with the lower tier prize winners..
That would be really nice, but I've never heard of them doing that in the US. It's usually just absorbed into the lottery/government and we never hear about it again.
We had a discussion about this in the Wild Card forum. This is the game I've played since 2008, and I'm very disappointed to see it go, as it was affordable. If they replace it with some 2-dollar per line game, I'm going to be very mad and writing letters. Oh, not that anyone will actually listen to what I have to say, but I will have to complain.
I know the trend is to put in games with greater odds and higher payout, but that's not why I play the lottery. I don't set goals for myself that include reaching the farthest star in the universe. This news of Wild Card's end came immediately following the huge Powerball jackpot win. So... not exactly surprising to me.
Yeah I liked the game too and replacing a progressive jackpot game with a POS like Lucky for Life that sits there for months and months without a winner and never grows is a real disservice.
I never got to play this game, but it is evident that they want to phase out games that are 2 plays for a buck. Unfortunately the trend is $2 a play now, and they try to sweeten it up with 2 ways to win a jackpot like All or Nothing, or Texas Triple Chance gets you 3 lines, 2 of which are QP's for $2. The only way for lotteries to increase revenue is to make it harder to win, and up the cost of play to $2.
Yes I do have to agree with you...that game is not available for me to play but what i do agree is if they replace a game with something like lucky for life....it is a piece of crap... i dont see how anyone would continue to buy it. But its got to be a money maker for the lotteries.
another complaint i do have with the lotteries is if a large payoff is missed and not claimed, it goes back into the lottery fund...to me that money should go back to the players in the form of some kind of way.... whether its sending in loosing tickets for a drawing with your name on the back or whatever... but that doesnt happen either... the lottery takes it back.
Exactly! Once I discovered that there is hardly ever a JP winner I decided not to even bother with it. Yes, it's a disservice, all right.
Cash for life would of been a better choice. The 2nd place prize is 52k/yr instead of 25k which is nothing after taxes.
It's a horrible decision to get rid of Wild Card and I will be going to Oregon to buy tickets for MegaBucks and Montana for Montana Cash.
"It is also the only game offered in the US in which the top two prizes are "for life" prizes.
This line from the original article is wrong. Cash4Life, for all its faults, has a top prize of $1000/day for life, and a second prize of $1000/week for life. Two lifetime prizes. Clearly someone was reading a bad press release.