Multi-state lottery game coming to Wyoming

Mar 18, 2016, 8:06 am (13 comments)

Lucky for Life

Colorado looking to join the same game this summer

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — WyoLotto players could have a new draw game to play by this fall after the Wyoming Lottery Corp. board of directors on Thursday unanimously approved adding the Lucky for Life game to the three currently offered.

Lottery CEO Jon Clontz said he hoped Lucky for Life tickets could be sold in the state by October or November.

Lucky for Life is similar to Powerball in that players pick six numbers. Matching all six numbers wins the jackpot. The ticket costs $2.

Lucky for Life is different in that the jackpot prize is $1,000 a day for the life of the winner, who has the option of taking $5.75 million in cash up front instead. Second prize is $25,000 a year for life.

WyoLotto began selling Powerball and Mega Millions tickets in 2014 and added the in-state Cowboy Draw game last year. By law, all the WyoLotto games must be draw games.

Lottery officials say Lucky for Life has better winning odds than Powerball and Mega Millions. While Lucky for Life's odds aren't as good as the Cowboy Draw game, its tickets are $3 less than Cowboy Draw.

Montana and Idaho already offer the game, and the Colorado Lottery is looking to add it this summer, Clontz said.

Games offering lifetime grand prizes have been making huge inroads throughout the United States in the past year, Lottery Post reported in January. (See More state lotteries adding "win for life" games, Lottery Post, Jan. 22, 2016.)

Currently 19 states plus the District of Columbia offer the Lucky for Life game.

Clontz said staff research indicates adding Lucky for Life won't hurt overall WyoLotto ticket sales and should boost WyoLotto earnings.

"We're always thinking about, within the confines of draw games, what kind of things can we put out there that won't cannibalize and will have more interesting, exciting jackpot prizes and so on," Clontz said. "So this is a game we think will do that, and we are pretty confident it will produce, or we wouldn't be recommending it."

He said the new game should boost WyoLotto payments to cities, towns and counties by about $100,000 per quarter.

State law requires the first $6 million of lottery proceeds to be distributed to cities, towns and counties on a quarterly basis. After paying off its private startup loans, WyoLotto's first quarterly payment is scheduled to be made next month. The payment is expected to be about $1 million.

Billings Gazette, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

HAMMY WAMMY's avatarHAMMY WAMMY

Yay this is great. I currently go to Wyoming to buy cowboy draw tickets. I like that they have the option of 20 draws instead of10. If their lucky for life has the option for 20 draws I'll start buying them there instead of Idaho that only offers 10 draws. Then I'd only have to make a lotto run every 2 months instead of every month. 

Good luck to everyone :)

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Cool, wish Oklahoma was getting this game.

Bleudog101

Congratulations to Wyoming.  Remember the battle to get a lottery there?  And now another national game!  Like I said on Facebook post of this news maybe there is hope for Alabama....insert laugh here!

LOTTOKING2016

Just another tactics to loot peoples money

zephbe's avatarzephbe

Quote: Originally posted by LOTTOKING2016 on Mar 18, 2016

Just another tactics to loot peoples money

Your optimism is overwhelming.

Groppo's avatarGroppo

I've seen Wyoming once, from the big truck I used to drive.

I thought it was quite barren.

But, then I read in this article that there ARE people there, who had a board meeting, no less.

So, wow, people in 3 piece suits? Having a board meeting, but there's so much open space, and very windy too.  It's hard to think of people living there.

But, OK, if they want to add to their lotto, that's fine with me. I won't try to stop them.

"Wyoming:  Cowboys, Rodeos, Lotto!"

                    (and a bit cold)

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Wow! No P3 or P4!

Current Line Up:

Cowboy Draw

MegaMillions

PowerBall

cbr$'s avatarcbr$
The " Win for Life" games do sound more interesting.  Actually these types of games , plus the
Power Ball  &  Mega Million game . Could be great starter games for any state considering have
a lottery .
Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Mar 19, 2016

Wow! No P3 or P4!

Current Line Up:

Cowboy Draw

MegaMillions

PowerBall

I think that has something to do with the law in Wyoming.  In order to start a lottery there, they had to only offer certain games.  Maybe it's changed since then, but that's how it started.  I believe that is included in one or more of the news stories posted at Lottery Post when the Wyoming Lottery was being created.

xstreamgaming15's avatarxstreamgaming15

It would be awesome if lucky for life or cash 4 life came to Calottery Powerball came here four years ago and California has won 7 powerball jackpots so far. So keeping my fingers crossed.

LOTTOKING2016

Quote: Originally posted by zephbe on Mar 19, 2016

Your optimism is overwhelming.

What's about optimism here ? It's not my problem that ur brain only believes what it sees on TV and Media :DDD

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by xstreamgaming15 on Mar 20, 2016

It would be awesome if lucky for life or cash 4 life came to Calottery Powerball came here four years ago and California has won 7 powerball jackpots so far. So keeping my fingers crossed.

Yes it would, knowing California it would be on a para-mutuel basis like your Powerball and Mega Millions.  No Powerplay or Megaplier there.  Someone the other week had five #'s on MegaMilions and only receive just over $94K, that is so not right.

ohiopick3's avatarohiopick3

It is good for more states to add games. Because you never know what type of game you may hit on.

The lower tier prizes are pretty good for their payouts, but...

The more states that are added to this type of game reduces the chances of bringing home "one jackpot winner".

The current cash option is about $5.75 million before taxes. But $25K for Life sounds good to most people.

10 Ways To Win

Drawings are held Monday and Thursday, at approximately 10:35 pm eastern time.  Winning numbers will be displayed here after the drawings and can be viewed on the Official Lucky for Life website.  The drawing can be viewed from a link on our Daily Drawings page too.

Match Win Odds
$1,000 a DAY for LIFE* 1 in 30,821,472
$25,000 a Year for LIFE 1 in 1,813,028
$5,000 1 in 143,356
$200 1 in 8,433
$150 1 in 3,414
$20 1 in 201
$25 1 in 250
$3 1 in 15
$6 1 in 50
$4 1 in 33

*If there are two or more jackpot winners in a draw, the prize is shared equally among the number of winning tickets.

Overall odds of winning any prize: 1 in 8.

End of comments
Subscribe to this news story