NY Lotto Odds and Prizes
New York's Lotto offers far bigger prizes than most other single-state lotteries, with a jackpot that is always worth at least $2 million. There is no limit to how high it can go, and it regularly reaches the tens of millions of dollars.
You have to match all six main numbers to win the jackpot, but you can also get a prize for matching fewer numbers. In fact, you only need to match half of the numbers and you’ll receive a payout.
A Bonus Number is also selected as part of every draw. If you match five of the main numbers and the last number on your ticket is the same as the Bonus, you win a larger prize than if you just get five out of six.
Unlike multi-state lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions, Lotto prizes are calculated on a pari-mutuel basis. That means a portion of the prize fund is allocated to each of the five different categories, and this money is then split between winners.
The prize fund consists of 40 percent of the revenue generated from ticket sales. Look through the table below to see how much goes to each prize level. You can also find out all the odds of winning.
| Numbers Matched | Odds of Winning | Prize Fund Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 in 45,057,474 | Jackpot + 75% |
| 5 + Bonus | 1 in 7,509,579 | 7.25% |
| 5 | 1 in 144,414 | 5.50% |
| 4 | 1 in 2,179 | 6.25% |
| 3 | 1 in 96 | 6% |
Overall odds of winning are 1 in 46 for two panels.
The biggest win in NY Lotto history dates back to the $90 million payout that was split between nine ticket holders in January 1991. Go to the Winners page to find out more.
Claiming Prizes
You can claim prizes of up to $600 from licensed New York Lottery retailers. For larger amounts, you will need to mail in your ticket, visit a customer service center or go to the NY Lottery headquarters in Schenectady. View the How to Claim page to find out about all the different methods for collecting prizes.