The New York Lottery offers a variety of lottery games for players to participate in. One of the most popular lottery games in New York is the NY Lotto. NY Lotto is a jackpot-style draw game that offers players the chance to win millions of dollars. But how often does the NY Lotto drawing occur? In this article, we will take a closer look at the NY Lotto game and breakdown how often drawings and jackpots occur.
NY Lotto Overview
NY Lotto is one of the flagship lottery games of the New York Lottery. It was launched in 1978 as a 6/59 game, meaning players pick 6 numbers from a field of 59. In 2009, the NY Lotto game changed to a 6/60 format where players now choose 6 numbers from 1 to 60.
To play NY Lotto, players select 6 numbers on a play slip or have the lottery terminal randomly select numbers for them. Tickets cost $1 per play. There are a few ways to win prizes in the NY Lotto:
- Match all 6 numbers to win the jackpot prize
- Match 5 numbers to win $1,000
- Match 4 numbers to win $50
- Match 3 numbers to win $3
The minimum jackpot starts at $2 million and continues to grow until there is a winner. Jackpots can roll many times if there are no jackpot winners, allowing the top prize to climb into the tens of millions and sometimes even over $100 million.
How Often is the NY Lotto Drawing?
The NY Lotto drawing is held twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 11:21 pm Eastern Time. This schedule has remained consistent since the game’s introduction in 1978.
So in summary:
- Drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday night
- Drawings are held at 11:21 pm ET
- There are 104 drawings per year
Having drawings twice a week, on both a weekday and weekend day, allows players plenty of opportunities to participate in the game. It also builds excitement when jackpots start rolling and getting larger since drawings occur frequently.
How Often Can the Jackpot Hit?
Since the NY Lotto drawing is held twice a week, this means the jackpot prize has the potential to be won twice every week. However, the actual frequency of jackpot wins depends on the odds and whether any players match all 6 winning numbers.
NY Lotto Jackpot Odds
The odds of winning the NY Lotto jackpot are 1 in 45,057,474. This means it is highly unlikely for a player to match all 6 numbers in a drawing. This is why jackpots can often go many drawings without a winner and prizes grow to huge amounts.
For some perspective on just how unlikely the jackpot odds are:
- The odds are over 7x worse than the 1 in 6.2 million odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime
- You are over 3,000x more likely to be attacked by a shark (1 in 11.5 million odds) than win the Lotto jackpot
So while you have two chances every week to hit the jackpot, the long odds mean it may not get hit for weeks or even months at a time.
Average NY Lotto Jackpots Won Per Year
Based on historical data, the New York Lottery averages around 5-10 jackpot wins per year in the NY Lotto game. However, there is high variability year to year. Here is a breakdown of the number of NY Lotto jackpots hit over the past several years:
| Year | Jackpots Won |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2017 | 7 |
As the data shows, while there are 24 jackpot opportunities per year with twice weekly drawings, the number of jackpots actually hit ranges quite a bit year-to-year, from as few as 4 per year to as many as 9 per year.
Odds of Winning Each Jackpot
While winning any jackpot is rare, your odds does improve slightly with each drawing that passes without a winner. Here are the odds of winning after a certain number of rolls based on the overall 1 in 45 million jackpot odds:
| Drawings | Odds of Winning Jackpot |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 in 45,057,474 |
| 5 | 1 in 9,011,495 |
| 10 | 1 in 4,505,747 |
| 15 | 1 in 3,003,832 |
| 20 | 1 in 2,252,874 |
As you can see, the more a jackpot rolls without being hit, the better your chances get at winning that elusive top prize. But the odds are still extremely long, even after 20 or more drawings.
Other NY Lotto Prize Odds
While winning the jackpot is rare, players have much better chances of winning other prize levels in the NY Lotto game:
- Match 5 numbers – 1 in 7,509 odds
- Match 4 numbers – 1 in 82 odds
- Match 3 numbers – 1 in 8 odds
With odds like these, players have a decent chance of winning back at least their wager or a small prize when playing the NY Lotto.
Prize Payout Statistics
The New York Lottery reports the following overall odds statistics across all prize levels:
- Overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 34
- Payout percentage is 61% back to players in prize money
So while the jackpot is elusive, between the lower tier prizes and overall 1 in 34 odds of winning something, players have a pretty good chance of getting a return on their NY Lotto tickets.
Ways to Play NY Lotto
There are a variety of ways players can take part in the NY Lotto twice weekly drawings:
In Person
Players can buy NY Lotto tickets at any authorized New York Lottery retailer across the state. There are over 15,000 lottery retailers in gas stations, convenience stores, supermarkets, and more. When buying in person, players can select their own numbers or have the terminal randomly generate (quick pick) the numbers.
Online
The New York Lottery allows players to conveniently purchase Lotto tickets online. Players can signup for an account, choose numbers and make purchases all electronically. The cutoff for online ticket sales is 11:10 pm Eastern Time on the night of the drawing.
Mobile App
The New York Lottery offers a free mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The app allows players to buy NY Lotto tickets as well as scan tickets for winning numbers and prizes. The mobile app offers the convenience of playing the lottery on the go.
Subscription
Players can signup for Lotto subscription services to automatically have tickets entered into every drawing. This saves players from having to manually buy tickets each time. Subscriptions can either use the same number choices for every drawing or quick pick different numbers.
Strategies for Playing NY Lotto
While the lottery is entirely random, there are some strategies players employ when picking numbers in an attempt to win the NY Lotto jackpot:
Most Frequent Numbers
Some players look at statistics to see which numbers have been drawn most often historically and strategically include these more frequent numbers on their tickets.
Least Frequent Numbers
Other players take the opposite approach, looking for numbers that have been drawn less frequently in the belief they are “due” to hit.
Significant Dates
Selecting number combinations based on birthdays, anniversaries or other meaningful dates is a popular approach some players use.
Random Selection
While the above strategies are fun, in reality random quick pick numbers have the exact same odds of winning as any other combination a player can select. Letting the computer randomly pick the numbers requires less thought while still giving you a shot at the jackpot.
History of NY Lotto Winners
Since NY Lotto began in 1978, there have been over 750 jackpot winners in the game. Some notable big winners include:
$96 Million – November 2005
A group of 23 co-workers at Booth Memorial Medical Center in Queens split a $96 million jackpot, with each taking home over $4 million after taxes. The group had pooled their money together for years to play the lottery every draw.
$91 Million – January 2021
A Suffolk County resident hit the $91 million NY Lotto prize, then the largest jackpot in the game’s history. The winner opted for the lump sum payout of $51.3 million.
$65 Million – July 2007
A retired postal worker from Brooklyn scored a $65 million NY Lotto jackpot. At the time, it was the second largest in the game’s history. The winner chose the cash option and collected $39 million at the time of payout.
Taxes on NY Lotto Winnings
If you are lucky enough to hit the NY Lotto jackpot, taxes will take a significant chunk out of the headline prize amount. New York state and federal taxes combined take about 37-40% out of lottery winnings:
- Federal tax: 24% minimum on gambling winnings
- New York state tax: 8.82% on income over $1 million
- Additional Medicare surtax: 3.8% on income over $200k (single)
These rates mean a $100 million jackpot is realistically around $60 million after taxes. Still an amazing haul, but winners need to consider taxes when weighing the cash versus annuity options.
Annuity
The advertised jackpot is paid out as an annuity, spread over 30 annual installments. Each payment is taxes as ordinary income. Investing the lump sum properly could achieve higher returns than the annuity.
Cash Prize
You get a reduced lump cash amount up front, typically around 60% of the advertised jackpot. But the lump sum allows you to invest the money and potentially earn higher returns than the annuity.
Is NY Lotto a Good Bet?
While winning the lottery is extremely rare, many see a few dollars spent on a ticket as a fun way to dream about hitting it big. When a jackpot reaches astronomical levels, lottery fever takes hold and many players buy tickets with visions of how they’d spend the millions.
Statistically, your odds of being struck by lightning or attacked by a shark are better than winning the Lotto jackpot. But someone has to win eventually and for just a few dollars spent, you have a shot at life-changing riches in the NY Lotto twice a week.
Overall the odds are not in your favor, but the New York Lottery does provide lots of opportunities to play and try your luck. And with secondary prizes easier to win, you have decent chances to recoup some money or hit smaller payouts.
Playing responsibly within your entertainment budget is the key. Don’t spend more than you can afford or chase big losses. View your ticket purchases as paying for the fun of playing, not as an investment strategy. With the right realistic mindset, the NY Lotto can be an enjoyable form of entertainment.
Conclusion
The New York Lottery’s NY Lotto gives players two chances every week to try to hit the jackpot, with drawings held every Wednesday and Saturday night at 11:21 pm Eastern Time. While the odds of 1 in over 45 million make matching all 6 numbers highly unlikely, jackpots can grow into the tens of millions before a lucky player finally strikes it big. Lower tier prizes are also up for grabs, improving your overall chances of winning something. Responsible play for entertainment, not investment, is key to enjoying Lotto games like the NY Lotto. And with patience, perseverance and a little luck, maybe one day you’ll be the next major jackpot winner!