More millionaires on the menu as holiday raffles return

By Kate Northrop

Edit: Wisconsin's entry has been updated with latest information available as of this morning.

Raffle season is back, and several state lotteries are going bigger than ever. Minnesota is doubling its million-dollar winners, Montana is adding another $1 million prize, and Idaho is celebrating 20 years of its holiday tradition. With a fixed number of tickets in every game, these drawings still offer some of the best odds around of becoming a millionaire.

Tickets make popular stocking stuffers, and they tend to disappear fast. Check out Lottery Post's state-by-state look at which raffles are on sale, which ones are coming soon, and what players can expect this year.

Idaho

The Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle turns 20 this year, and the Idaho Lottery is marking the milestone in style. Tickets are $10 each, and once again 500,000 are available, with two $1 million top prizes guaranteed. More than 21,000 other prizes are also up for grabs.

To celebrate the anniversary, the Lottery stretched its daily $1,000 giveaway from 15 days to 20. Each day during the first 20 days of sales, one ticket is chosen at random from the previous day's sales to win $1,000, and that ticket stays in the running for the final drawing. Lottery Post has been posting those daily results each day on the 2026 Idaho Lottery $1,000,000 Raffle results page. Also, every 25,000th ticket sold wins a $1,000 voucher, for 20 more winners.

Sales started Oct. 21, 2026 at 4:00 a.m. MT and run until the last ticket is sold. Winning numbers will be announced on Dec. 29, 2026. As of the morning of Oct. 29, nearly 20% of all tickets have been sold, the Lottery informed Lottery Post.

Kansas

The Kansas Lottery's Holiday Millionaire Raffle is back, and it got an early start again this year. The format is familiar to returning players: 150,000 tickets at $20 each, one $1 million Grand Prize, and three Early Bird drawings along the way.

Tickets bought before an Early Bird drawing are entered into that drawing, every Early Bird drawing after it, and the Grand Prize drawing, so buying early pays. The first Early Bird drawing took place on Oct. 4, and the remaining two are scheduled for Nov. 8 and Dec. 6. Tickets must be bought by 6:59 p.m. CT on the day of a drawing to count.

Beyond the top prize, there is one $100,000 prize, one $25,000 prize, two $10,000 prizes, ten $5,000 prizes, 30 prizes of $1,000, 800 prizes of $100 and 4,800 prizes of $50. Sales run through Jan. 3, 2027 or until all tickets are gone, and the $1 million winning number will be announced on Jan. 4, 2027.

Maryland

Maryland is trading last year's Holiday Raffle for a new Millionaire Raffle, and it comes with twice the millionaires. Instead of one $1 million prize, the Maryland Lottery is awarding two, giving players a 1 in 150,000 chance at a million dollars with a maximum of 300,000 tickets. Tickets cost $20 each.

The big change is the weekly action. Eight Early Bird drawings, starting Nov. 9, will each award a $10,000 prize. Each Early Bird drawing covers a single week of sales, and every ticket bought through 1:55 a.m. on Dec. 28 gets one Early Bird entry plus a spot in the finale. In addition to the two $1 million top prizes, the final drawing also includes 10 prizes of $50,000, 500 prizes of $500 and 1,700 prizes of $100.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 2, 2026 at all Maryland Lottery retailers and remain available until 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2027 or until they sell out. The final drawing takes place on Jan. 4, 2027.

Minnesota

The Minnesota Millionaire Raffle has sold out every year since it began, and last year it took just 14 days, the fastest sellout in the game's history. So this year, the Minnesota Lottery is going bigger. For the first time, four players will win $1 million each, double last year's two.

Every other prize tier has grown too. Along with the four top prizes, there are six prizes each of $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000, plus 20 prizes of $10,000, 1,000 of $500, 1,100 of $200, 8,000 of $100 and 20,000 of $50. That's more than 30,000 prizes in all. The $20,000 tier added last year for the Lottery's 20th anniversary is not returning.

To keep up with demand, the Lottery raised the ticket count by 50%, to 1.5 million. Tickets are still $10 each and went on sale Oct. 20, 2026. Sales continue through midnight on Dec. 31, 2026 or until tickets run out, and winning numbers will be announced on Jan. 1, 2027.

Montana

Montana Millionaire celebrates its 20th edition this year, and the Montana Lottery is calling it the biggest one yet. After last year's tickets vanished in a matter of hours, the Lottery is adding another 100,000 tickets, for 720,000 in total. It's also adding a sixth $1 million grand prize, up from five.

Tickets are still $20 each, and players can win instant prizes of $100 or $500 right at the counter when they buy, of which there are 7,000 and 2,700, respectively. The Quarter Million Monday Drawing on Nov. 30, 2026 will award one $250,000 prize to a ticket bought before that drawing's deadline.

Tickets go on sale Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 at 5:30 a.m. at Montana Lottery retailers and self-service terminals. The last chance to buy is midnight on Dec. 27, 2026, if tickets last that long. The Grand Prize Drawing, along with a $20,000 Player's Club second-chance drawing, takes place on Dec. 28, 2026.

Oregon

The Oregon Lottery's annual Raffle is a little different from the rest of the list. It goes on sale around the holidays, but the drawing doesn't happen until mid-March, near St. Patrick's Day. The Lottery hasn't announced details for its next Raffle yet.

If it follows the usual pattern, players might expect 250,000 tickets, a $1 million top prize, 300 prizes of $500 and 1,500 prizes of $100. That works out to a 1 in 250,000 chance at $1 million, the best of any Oregon Lottery game. Tickets have been $10 in recent years.

Last time, tickets went on sale Jan. 4, 2026 and sold out by the evening of March 13, with the winning numbers drawn on March 17. The game has sold out every year since it debuted in 2009, except for 2019, when ice storms and power outages hit the state.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's Millionaire Raffle is returning for another holiday season. The Pennsylvania Lottery held the country's first holiday raffle drawing back in 2005 and has kept the tradition going every year since.

The prize lineup matches last year's: four $1 million top prizes, four $100,000 prizes, 100 prizes of $1,000 and 5,892 prizes of $100. That's 6,000 winners in the main drawing, with 1 in 125,000 odds of landing either a $1 million or $100,000 prize. Tickets cost $20 each.

Early buyers get an extra shot. Every ticket bought on or before Monday, Dec. 28, 2026 is entered into one of eight Weekly Drawings, each awarding two $50,000 prizes. Sales open Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 and run through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027 at 8:00 p.m., unless tickets sell out first. The final drawing is Jan. 2, 2027, with winning numbers posted after 10:00 p.m.

Virginia

Virginia's New Year's Millionaire Raffle is one of the most dependable traditions on this list, and it's going to be just as exciting as last year's. Although information on the game is not yet available on the website, the Virginia Lottery confirmed with Lottery Post that the game's rules and prizes will be match the last lineup and that it will launch Nov. 3.

There will be a total of 625,000 tickets for sale at $20 each, five $1 million top prizes, seven $100,000 prizes and 1,000 prizes of $500. That gives a 1 in 125,000 shot at $1 million, the best odds of any Virginia Lottery game.

Last year's tickets went on sale Oct. 28, 2025, and they sold out in the final days of December. Winners are traditionally announced on New Year's Day, so the next five Virginia millionaires will be revealed on Jan. 1, 2027.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Lottery's Holly Jolly Raffle has been a holiday favorite since 2010, and although this year's edition hasn't been officially announced yet, the Wisconsin Lottery confirmed with Lottery Post that it will be happening with some slight changes from last year, including a later start time and draw date.

While last year's game launched on Oct. 24, sales for the raffle will start on Nov. 13. Usually, the deadline to purchase tickets would occur sometime in early December, but this time, the Lottery is pushing back the final date to purchase tickets to Jan. 4, 2027. The final drawing will take place "immediately after," the Lottery said.

One thing that remains consistent is the number of tickets sold. There will be 150,000 tickets for purchase at $5 each, with a $125,000 top prize. The Lottery informed Lottery Post that "the dates really are the biggest difference" between this year and last year's game, so we may expect to see 78 prizes of $1,000 and 1,750 prizes of $100 once again. That's 1 in 150,000 odds at the top prize, and roughly 1 in 82 odds of winning any prize. Tickets have sold out before the last day of sales in each of the past several years, so players won't want to wait once it's back.

Spain (El Gordo)

No holiday raffle roundup would be complete without Spain's El Gordo. The Spanish Christmas Lottery is the largest raffle in the world by total payout, and 2026 marks its 214th year. This year's drawing will hand out about €2.87 billion in prizes on Dec. 22, as it does every year.

Good luck to everyone picking up raffle tickets this season!