Everything You Need To Know About The New Millionaire For Life Game
Draw game launches this Sunday, Feb. 22, in 31 jurisdictions
2 min
Branding matters in the lottery business, and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) apparently believes that the words “Millionaire for Life” will resonate and motivate more effectively than “Lucky for Life” or “Cash4Life.”
This coming Sunday, Feb. 22, marks the first drawing of the new Millionaire for Life game, one day after the final drawing of Lucky for Life and Cash4Life.
So how does Millionaire for Life work, what are the possible prizes, and where will it be available? Here are all the key facts that lottery players and lottery insiders ought to know ahead of the new draw game’s debut.
Nightly chances to get in the green
One key aspect of Millionaire for Life is its consistency. Tickets cost $5 apiece — no add-ons or multipliers. The drawings are held every night, seven days a week, at 11:15 p.m. ET. And the jackpot is not progressive — the top prize is always the same.
The game format is similar to Powerball and Mega Millions in that six numbers are drawn, five of them appearing on regular ol’ white balls, while the sixth is on a special colored ball. In this case, it’s the green Millionaire Ball, and the numbers are limited. Whereas the red Powerball spans 1-26 and the gold Mega Ball can be anything from 1 to 25, there’s always a 20% chance of hitting the green Millionaire Ball, because it only spans 1-5.
As for the white balls, they go from 1 to 58. And the resulting prizes and the odds of winning those prizes are displayed in this graphic produced by the MUSL:
Overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 8.46. Of course, the focus for most players will be on the top two prizes — the life-changing money.
The grand prize is $1 million (pre-tax) every year for a minimum of 20 years, with the option to take a one-time $18 million (before taxes) cash prize instead.
Those who pair all five white balls, but not the green ball, will score $100,000 each year for at least 20 years or a $2.2 million lump-sum prize (again, all amounts are pre-tax).
“Winning a million dollars a year for life is the jackpot of a lifetime,” Millionaire for Life Product Group Chair and Colorado Lottery Senior Director Tom Seaver said in a press release. Taken literally, Seaver is correct that it’s a jackpot that continues to pay throughout the winner’s lifetime, although in a more figurative sense, one could point out that there are more massive jackpots available in some other lottery games.
State of the states
The Millionaire for Life game will be available in the following 31 jurisdictions:
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Maine
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.
As with other regulated U.S. lottery games, a portion of the money spent on every Millionaire for Life ticket will go toward public programs and services.
