Lottery And NFL: Where Kickoffs Meet Scratch-Offs
Powerball Xs & Os debuts next week, and lotteries around the country are promoting NFL-themed state games
3 min
Winning a draw lottery jackpot with odds of about 1 in 300 million? That’s a Hail Mary.
But there are also ways to score smaller lottery wins that are more like the equivalent of picking up a first down on 3rd and 10. (For what it’s worth, in recent years that conversion has averaged out to about a 30% shot in the NFL.)
And across the nation, with the 2026 NFL season kicking off next week, countless state lotteries are tying together America’s most popular sport and the true national pastime — trying to turn a little money into a lot of money.
The first full slate of NFL games is set for Sunday, Sept. 13. Prior to that, on Sept. 10 the Rams and 49ers jump-start the Thursday Night Football season in Melbourne, Australia. One day earlier, it’s a Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots to get the season rolling.
And one day before that, next Tuesday, tickets go on sale for Powerball Xs & Os, described as “an all-new weekly draw game that combines two iconic brands — Powerball and the NFL — into a unique game-day experience.” The drawings will take place on Sundays, appropriately, meaning the first one is Sept. 13.
At launch, the game will be available in Washington, D.C., plus 23 states: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia. The Multi-State Lottery Association says it expects other states to begin participating later in the year.
Whereas in traditional Powerball players choose six numbers, in the Xs & Os game they choose eight of the 32 NFL team logos. Match all eight (a 1-in-10,518,300 shot), and you win the progressive jackpot. Match at least four of eight, and you win some sort of prize on your $5 ticket — from a modest $7 for four matches to $20,000 for seven hits.
In addition to the cash prizes, points accumulated with every purchase by customers with iLottery accounts can go toward additional prize drawings. Rewards include a trip to Super Bowl LXI, NFL Shop gift cards, and more.
State-by-state rundown
On top of the football-themed national Powerball game available in almost half the states in the nation, quite a few individual states have launched NFL-themed games, mostly of the scratch-off variety and mostly pegged to the local teams within those states. Here are 10 games uncovered by Lottery Geeks (listed alphabetically by jurisdiction):
Colorado: Broncos Blitz is a $5 game with a $100,000 top prize. Additional prizes are available in bonus drawings, including a VIP experience at the Denver Broncos’ final home game of the regular season and season tickets for 2027.
District of Columbia: The nation’s capital is offering three different scratchers tied to the Washington Commanders: a $2 game, a $5 game, a $10 game, and the Commanders End Zone Rush e-Instant. As with the Colorado games, second-chance drawings offer the opportunity to win game tickets and VIP experiences.
Kansas: Will Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs bounce back from their disappointing 2025 season? If not, fans have a chance to soften the blow with a $10 scratch-off that offers a top prize of $75,000.
Louisiana: There are two separate New Orleans Saints games available: a $2 scratcher called Saints All Season and a $5 Fast Play billed as Saints Football Frenzy.
Maryland: The price point is in the name for both the Ravens X2 game and the Ravens X10 game ($2 and $10, respectively). The top prizes are $20,000 for the cheaper scratch-off and $200,000 for the more expensive one, and the grand prize in the second-chance drawing is a doozy: Baltimore Ravens club-level season tickets for 20 years, starting in 2027.
Michigan: The $5 Detroit Lions instant game offers a top prize of $500,000 — which is arguably even better than landing the first pick in your fantasy football draft and having the opportunity to snag Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Pennsylvania: As the state is home to both the Eagles on the eastern side of the state and the Steelers in the west, the Pennsylvania Lottery is offering two separate $5 Fast Play games, one tied to each of the two NFL teams.
Texas: Same deal here, with both the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans calling the Lone Star State home, so there’s a $5 scratcher for each.
Washington: The home of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks is home to a $5 Seahawks scratcher, with instant prizes as high as $50,000. The top prize in the second-chance drawing is a pair of 2027 season tickets.
Wisconsin: Green Bay Packers fans have plenty of options, with a $1 Go Packers scratcher, a $2 Packers Fast Play ticket, a $5 Green & Gold Crossword game, and a $10 Packers scratch-off. And there’s a second-chance drawing for these as well, offering a grand prize of four club-seat season tickets for 2027.
