Lottery News

CT Lottery players will soon have a chance for a lifetime of winning every day when the Lucky for Life® draw game expands from two drawings per week to seven drawings per week starting Monday, July 19, 2021, giving players a daily shot at winning 365,000 ($1,000-a-day) for the rest of their lives.

The cost per play, how the game is played and the prize structure will remain the same.  Drawings will be conducted nightly, and the results can viewed at www.ctlottery.org.

“We’re proud to see the national growth of Lucky for Life, since Connecticut created the game in 2009,” said Greg Smith, President and CEO, Connecticut Lottery Corporation. “The daily drawing will improve the chances for players to win these lifetime prizes in all participating states.”

Connecticut has had one top-prize winner ($1,000 per day, for life), and 32 second-prize winners ($25,000 per year, for life) since 2015, when the game launched beyond New England.

Lucky for Life® tickets are $2 per play and are on sale at any lottery retailer licensed within the participating states until 9:30 p.m. ET on the night of the drawing. Winning tickets must be redeemed in the state in which they were purchased.

To play Lucky for Life®, a player must select five (5) out of 48 numbers and one (1) out of 18 numbers in the Lucky Ball Pool.  Players matching all five numbers, plus the Lucky Ball, win $1,000 a day, every day, for the rest of their life.  Players matching the first five numbers correctly, but do not match the Lucky Ball, win $25,000 a year for their lifetime.  Each of the lifetime prizes are guaranteed for a minimum of 20 years, but will continue to be paid out for the duration of each winner’s lifetime.

The Evolution of Lucky for Life®

• The first “Lucky-4-Life” lottery draw game was custom-designed and introduced by the Connecticut Lottery Corporation on March 29, 2009.  The game concept, modeled after two highly popular scratch games, “Win for Life” and “Set for Life,” offered a top prize that was the first of its kind in the industry—a $2,000 a week “for life” top prize, and a $10,000 cash second prize.  In 2010, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) recognized the CT Lottery by naming Lucky-4-Life as its "Best New Draw Game.”
  
• After a successful run of nearly three years, which generated more than $78 million in sales and $39 million in prizes, five neighboring states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, joined Connecticut in the launch a new regional draw game, “New England’s Lucky for Life,” which featured an even bigger, better top prize of $1,000 a day, every day, for life, and a $25,000 cash second prize.
  
• Recognizing that consumers wanted more ways to win “For Life” prizes, the Lucky for Life® game was further enhanced on September 17, 2013.  In addition to the game’s $1,000 a day for life top prize, a second “lifetime” prize was added—a $25,000 a year for life.  Lifetime winners were also given the choice of claiming their prize as an annuity or as a lump sum.  
  
  
• As a result of a collaborative effort, Lucky for Life® expanded to include 14 states on January 27, 2015: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Vermont.  As part of the expansion, the game underwent modifications that improved players' chances of winning the top prize of $1,000 a day for life, as well as the overall odds of winning a prize, and increased the values of seven of the game’s eight lower-tier prizes.

• After further expansion, Lucky for Life® currently consists of 23 participating lotteries: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

About CT Lottery:

Lottery sales benefit Connecticut's residents in valuable ways. In fiscal year 2021, players won more than $925 million in prize money and Retailers earned more than $83 million in commissions. At the same time, the CT Lottery provided $418 million to support the valuable services and programs funded by the state’s General Fund including public health, libraries, public safety, education and more.  Since the Lottery began in 1972, our contributions to the General Fund have exceeded $10.6 billion. 

The CT Lottery reminds the public that purchasers must be 18 or older.  If you gamble, use your GameSense.  For information about the CT Lottery, stop by any CT Lottery retailer, visit CTLOTTERY.ORG, join us on Facebook (facebook.com/CTLottery), Instagram (Instagram.com/ctlottery), Twitter (twitter.com/ctlottery), or call (860) 713-2700.

About Lucky for Life®:

• =    Tickets cost $2 each, and are valid for one drawing.
• Drawings are held every Monday and Thursday night (until July 19) at 10:38 p.m. ET.

• Following each drawing, drawings can be viewed via upload on www.luckyforlife.us, or, on each state’s individual social media and websites.
• The top prize is up to $1,000 a day, every day, for life when matching five (5) numbers plus the Lucky Ball number.  The prize is payable as an annuity or lump sum.
• Players who match the first five numbers win up to $25,000 a year for life.  The prize is payable as an annuity or lump sum.
• “For Life” prizes are payable for the length of a winner’s natural life.  At minimum, 20 years’ worth of payments are guaranteed.  Payments could last much longer, based on the lifespan of the winner.
• Eight other cash prizes range from $3 to $5,000.
• Overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 7.8. 
• Odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 30,821,472.
• Additional information about the game, its rules and how to play can be found at www.luckyforlife.us, or each state’s individual lottery site.
  

To follow the luck that lasts a lifetime, visit www.ctlottery.org, www.luckyforlife.us, or stop by your local lottery retailer.  Age restrictions apply.  Please play responsibly.

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