Lucky For Life: Official Guide, Rules, Odds & How to Play
Odds to win Lucky For Life jackpot
| Winning selections | Odds | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Match 5 numbers + Lucky Ball | 1 in 30,821,472 | $1,000 a day for life * |
| Match 5 main numbers | 1 in 1,813,028 | $25,000 a year for life * |
| Match 4 numbers + Lucky Ball | 1 in 143,356 | $5,000 * |
| Match 4 main numbers | 1 in 8,433 | $200 |
| Match 3 numbers + Lucky Ball | 1 in 3,413 | $150 |
| Match 3 main numbers | 1 in 201 | $20 |
| Match 2 numbers + Lucky Ball | 1 in 250 | $25 |
| Match 2 numbers | 1 in 15 | $3 |
| Match 1 number + Lucky Ball | 1 in 50 | $6 |
| Match the Lucky Ball | 1 in 32 | $4 |
* Overall odds of winning are 1 in 8. Prizes equal 50% of sales overall. In some cases, these prizes may be lower than these published prize levels.
Lucky For Life prize options
The minimum payment period for the top and second prizes is 20 years. Both have the choice of a Cash Option as an alternative to the Annuitized Payment option, as described in the table below. Prizes that are governed by "split-prize" liability are divided equally among the winning tickets and may be less than shown.
Top Prize
| Winners | Annuitized Payment Option | Cash Option |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 14 | $1,000 a day for life * | $5,750,000 * |
| 15 or more | No annuitized payment option | $7,125,000 * |
2nd Prize
| Winners | Annuitized Payment Option | Cash Option |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 20 | $25,000 a year for life | $390,000 |
| 21 or more | No annuitized payment option | $9,400,000 * |
*Divided by the number of winners
LUCKY FOR LIFE® is a multi-state lottery game. It has a top prize of $1,000 a DAY for LIFE and a second prize of $25,000 a YEAR for LIFE, plus other cash prizes ranging from $3 to $5,000.
Lucky For Life drawings take place every day at 22:30 ET. Tickets cost $2.00 per play. Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers (white balls) from 1 to 48 and one number (yellow ball) from 1 to 18. You win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.
Participating States
Lucky For Life tickets are available in 36 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio November, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming).
Winning VS Losing Combinations
Did you know that after each Lucky for Life draw, there will be exactly:
Winning Combinations: 1,936,938 (6.3%)
Losing Combinations: 28,884,534 (93.7%)
Winning Probability Calculations
In the USA Lucky for Life lottery, you have to pick 5 numbers from 1 to 48 and 1 Lucky Ball from 1 to 18. To win the smallest prize, you need to match either the Lucky Ball number or at least 2 main numbers and no Lucky Ball. The number of combinations that will always win any prize after each draw is calculated as follows:
Total Number of Combinations
The total number of ways to choose 5 main numbers from 48 and 1 Lucky Ball from 18 is given by:
\( \binom{48}{5} \times \binom{18}{1} = \frac{48!}{5!(48-5)!} \times 18 = 1,712,304 \times 18 = 30,821,472 \)
Winning Combinations
To find out how many combinations win any prize, we calculate the number of ways to match either the Lucky Ball or at least 2 main numbers and no Lucky Ball:
Matching the Lucky Ball
The number of ways to pick 5 main numbers from 48 and exactly the Lucky Ball is:
\( \binom{48}{5} \times \binom{18}{1} = 1,712,304 \)
Matching At Least 2 Main Numbers and No Lucky Ball
The number of ways to match exactly 2, 3, 4, or 5 main numbers and no Lucky Ball:
\( 204,984 + 18,424 + 1,225 + 1 = 224,634 \)
Total Winning Combinations
Summing up all these winning combinations:
\( 1,712,304 + 224,634 = 1,936,938 \)
Non-Winning Combinations
The number of non-winning combinations is given by:
\( \text{Total Combinations} - \text{Winning Combinations} = 30,821,472 - 1,936,938 = 28,884,534 \)
Conclusion
Therefore, there are 1,936,938 combinations that will always win any prize after each draw in the USA Lucky for Life lottery.
How to win Lucky For Life
Increase your chances to win the jackpot by following these expert tips and strategies:
How To Win Lucky For LifeAnd play via our lottery partner
