New York (NY) Lottery

Learning how to play New York Lottery games is easy. Choose your ticket and pick your numbers. For many games, you'll win a prize by matching three or more of the main numbers in the draw. Some games, such as the Quick Draw, offer a prize for matching a single number. However, these prizes are minimal. You must match all the numbers in a given game to hit the jackpot.

Your odds of winning the New York Lottery are best with Numbers, where the chance of getting a jackpot or top prize is 1 in 1,000. Your odds are the smallest at the Powerball, where you have a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of getting the jackpot. Your chances of winning a smaller prize are always greater than your chances of getting a massive payout. For example, if you play a one-spot game in the Quick Draw, you have a 1 in 4 chance of winning, but the prize is only $2. The possibility of hitting all 10 numbers on a 10-spot game is 1 in 8,911,711.

Lucky Sum was a wager that was previously available for Numbers and Win4 lottery games in New York. As of September 9, 2018, the Lucky Sum wager is no longer available.

Each New York Lottery game has a specific schedule. Some have drawings daily, while others occur twice a week. The schedule for New York Lottery games is as follows: • Quick Draw: Every four minutes from 4 a.m. to 3:25 a.m. • Win 4: 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. daily. • Numbers: 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. daily. • Pick 10: 8:30 p.m. daily. • Take 5: 10:30 p.m. daily. • Cash4Life: 9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. • NY Lotto: 8:15 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

You can see most New York Lottery drawings on local television stations or these stations' online channels. Albany WCWN (CW45) Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Take 5, Numbers, Win 4 Binghamton WICZ (FOX40) Mega Millions, Powerball, Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Binghamton WBPN (My Net) Lotto Buffalo WUVT (FOX29) Mega Millions, Powerball, Numbers, Win4 Buffalo WNYO (MYTV49) Lotto, Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Plattsburgh WPTZ (NBC5) Mega Millions, Powerball, Numbers, Win4 Plattsburgh WNNE (CW31) Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Elmira WETM (NBC18) Mega Millions, Powerball, Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Elmira WETM-H2 (Antenna TV) Lotto New York WABC (ABC7) Mega Millions, Powerball, Numbers, Win4 New York WABC D2 (Localish) Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Rochester WUHF (FOX28) Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Syracuse WSTM (NBC3) Mega Millions, Powerball Syracuse ESTM (CW) Lotto, Take 5, Numbers, Win4 Utica WUTR (ABC30) Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Numbers, Win4 Utica WFXV (FOX) Take 5, Numbers, Win4

Each New York Lottery game has a different cutoff time. Some games, such as the Quick Draw, allow purchases up to the draw. Others, such as the Powerball, cut off purchases nearly an hour before the draw. The exact cutoff times for New York Lottery games are: • Quick Draw: Immediately before the draw, every four minutes throughout the day. • Win 4: 2:15 p.m. and 10:20 p.m. daily. • Numbers: 2:15 p.m. and 10:20 p.m. daily. • Pick 10: 8 p.m. daily. • Take 5: 10:20 p.m. daily. • Cash4Life: 8:45 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. • Mega Millions: 10:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. • Powerball: 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. • NY Lotto: 8 p.m. Wednesday and Saturdays.

If you're a lucky winner, the first thing you'll want to know is how to claim lottery winnings in New York. You can claim a prize of up to $600 at any lottery retailer in New York. If you win more than $600, you must complete a claim form and visit one of the lottery's customer service centers. If you prefer not to claim your winnings in person, you can request your winnings by mail. If you're claiming a prize of $601 or more, you must complete a claim form for your winnings and include this form with your ticket. For smaller prizes, mail your ticket to: New York Lottery P.O. Box 7533 Schenectady, NY 12301 Contact Lottery Current if you have any questions about playing the lottery in New York.