New York Lotto: rules of the game and frequently asked questions
How New York Lotto is played, how the prize tiers work and what this site offers, in brief. Only the operator's official rules are binding.
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Rules of the game
How is New York Lotto played?
New York Lotto is the classic number lottery of New York State (New York Lottery, since 1978; current 6-from-59 format since September 2001), drawn every Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15 pm (New York). 6 numbers are drawn from 59, then a bonus number from the remaining 53 balls, which only counts for 2nd prize (5 matches + bonus). One dollar buys two plays. The jackpot starts at $2 million; 3 matches pay a fixed $1, the other tiers share 40% of sales. Data: New York State open data (data.ny.gov), draws since 2001.
How does the Bonus number work?
The Bonus number is drawn after the winning numbers from the remaining balls; it counts if it is among your own numbers.
Winning
What are the odds of winning?
The chance of the top tier (6 matches) is 1 in 45,057,474; the chance of winning anything is about 1 in 92. All tiers with their exact probability are on the Odds page.