Lucky for Life gives US lottery players in 23 jurisdictions seven chances a week to win $1,000 a day for life, $25,000 a year for life, and various smaller prizes for $2.00 per play.

The lump-sum cash value of Lucky for Life’s jackpots is relatively modest, but the lifetime-guaranteed payouts and improved odds compared to other multi-state draw games make it one of the nation’s most recognized lottery games.

Continue below for BettingUSA’s thorough Lucky for Life review and other key information players need to know. Our guide explains where to buy Lucky for Life tickets online and in person, how the game works, where it’s available, and how it compares to other multi-state draw games.

Play Lucky For Life Lottery Online

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  • Base Ticket Cost: $2.00
  • Top Prize: $1,000 a day for life (or $5.75 million cash option)
  • Jackpot Odds: 1 in 30.8 million
  • Any-Prize Odds: 1 in 7.8
  • Lucky for Life Drawings: 10:38 PM ET daily
  • Ticket Purchase Deadline: 9:30 PM ET
  • Watch Drawings Live

Players can buy Lucky for Life tickets in the following jurisdictions:

  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • DC
  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Rhode Island
  • South Dakota
  • Vermont
  • Wyoming

Note: If Lucky for Life isn’t available in your state, you might be able to buy Cash4Life tickets online instead. Cash4Life is available in ten additional states and also offers $1,000 a day for life but features a bigger secondary jackpot than Lucky for Life ($1,000 a week for life versus $25,000 a year for life) for the same ticket price.

Players can enter Lucky for Life drawings by purchasing tickets and choosing Quick Pick for random numbers or manually selecting six numbers:

  • Five numbers between 1 and 48
  • One number between 1 and 18 for the Lucky Ball

Each ticket has room for players to create up to five lines (entries) and an option to enter up to 28 consecutive drawings (the maximum number of drawings players may enter in advance varies by state).

Lucky for Life has ten prize tiers, ranging from $3 (1 in 32 chance ) to $1,000 a day for life (1 in 30.8 million chance).

# of MatchesPrize
5 + Lucky Ball$1,000 a day for life
5$25,000 a year for life
4 + Lucky Ball$5,000
4$200
3 + Lucky Ball$150
3$20
2 + Lucky Ball$25
2$3
1 + Lucky Ball$6
Lucky Ball Only$4

$1,000 a Day for Life

Lucky for Life jackpot winners can take one of the annuity options described below or a one-time cash payout of $5,750,000. Winners who take the annuity option will receive annual or weekly payments, depending on the state where they purchased the ticket:

  • $365,000 payment once per year, 20-year minimum guarantee
  • $7,000 payment once per week, 20-year minimum guarantee

In cases of multiple jackpot winners, Lucky for Life will split the prize equally among them based on the following rules.

If there are 2-14 winners:

  • Lump sum cash payout of $5.75 million divided by the number of winners
  • Annuity payments ($365,000 annually in some states and $7,000 weekly in others) divided by the number of winners
  • If the weekly annuity payment would be less than $500 per week, winners must take the cash option

If there are 15+ winners:

  • No annuity option
  • Each winner receive an equal share of $7,125,000

$25,000 a Year for Life

Players who win the secondary jackpot may choose to receive their winnings as a lump sum payout of $390,000 or annual payments of $25,000.

The following rules apply if there are multiple winners.

  • If there are 20 or fewer winners, they do not split the jackpot. Every winner receives the full $25,000-per-year annuity or a $390,000 lump sum cash payout.
  • If there are 21+ winners: Each player receives an equal share of $9,400,000

The odds of winning Lucky for Life’s various prizes range from 1 in 15 to about 1 in 30 million. Overall, players have a 1 in 7.8 chance to win any prize.

PrizeOdds of Winning
$1,000 a day for life1 in 30,821,472
$25,000 a year for life1 in 1,813,028
$5,0001 in 143,356
$2001 in 8,433
$1501 in 3,414
$201 in 201
$251 in 250
$31 in 15
$61 in 50
$41 in 33

Some Lucky for Life states offer online ticket sales, but most require players to visit a retailer in person to buy Lucky for Life tickets.

However, lottery courier services like Jackpocket are operational in a growing number of states and allow players to place orders for Lucky for Life tickets from anywhere in the state. See BettingUSA’s online lottery reviews for more information about legal lottery couriers, how they work, and where they’re available.

Lucky for Life costs $2 per play.

Jackpot winners who choose the “for life” annuity plan receive their scheduled payments for as long as they live but no less than 20 years.

For example, if a 30-year-old wins the Lucky for Life jackpot and lives to be 80, he would receive payments for 50 years. However, if that same person dies the day after winning, his estate would receive payments for 20 years.

The winning ticket claim window varies by state. Players can usually find that information in an FAQ on their state lottery’s official website.

If you play Lucky for Life online via lottery courier apps, your app should inform you automatically whenever you have a winner. Otherwise, you can check your tickets via these methods:

  • Visit the nearest lottery retailer and ask the cashier to scan your ticket
  • Get your state lottery’s official app and use the free ticket scanner tool
  • Visit your state lottery’s website for the latest drawing results

Lucky for Life drawings occur daily at 10:30 PM ET.