How to Play Cash for Life

Cash for Life is quick and simple to play. Find a local New York Lottery retailer and fill out a playslip in time for the nightly drawing. The numbers are selected at 9:00 PM, so you have to buy your ticket by 8:45 PM.

Here is what you need to do to play Cash for Life:

Choose your numbers

Select five numbers from 1 to 60 in the upper part of your playslip, and one Cash Ball from the separate range of 1 to 4 underneath. There are five play areas on your slip – Game A, B, C, D and E, if you want to play multiple sets of numbers. If you don’t want to choose your own numbers, just mark the QP box and you’ll receive a Quick Pick.

Decide how many draws

In the section of your playslip marked ‘Number of Draws’, you can choose to enter 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 consecutive drawings. However, you can ask the retailer if you want to enter up to 28 consecutive drawings. If you just want to play the next draw, leave this section blank.

Buy your tickets

Give your playslip to the retailer and pay for your entries, at a cost of $2 per play. There are also vending machines at some locations where you can simply insert your playslip and pay to receive your ticket.

If you have a favorite set of numbers, you can just bring an old ticket to the retailer and hand it in. This option is called ‘Play It Again’ and, as long as your ticket is from the last 30 days, you will be given a new entry with all the same selections for the same cost.

Playing in Other States

You can play Cash for Life if you find yourself in several other states – Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The game works in exactly the same way, but some aspects such as the ticket cut-off time and multi-draw options might be different.

How to Win

To win the jackpot, you need to match all six of the numbers that are drawn. There are also eight other ways to win if you match fewer numbers, starting with getting just one number and the Cash Ball. Go to the Odds and Prizes page to find out all about the Cash for Life payouts.