Win For Life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Win For Life can refer to one of two lottery games in the United States, a multistate game in the traditional number-drawing style, or a scratch-off game played in New York State.
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[edit] Multistate game
Win For Life is a multi-state lottery game played in the U.S. states of Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia, and is the successor to Lotto South. Sales of Win For Life began on February 26, 2006 and the first drawing was held on March 1, 2006.
As with Lotto South, Win For Life is drawn each Wednesday and Saturday at 11:00PM eastern time (10:00PM central in western Kentucky) in Richmond, Virginia at the WTVR studios with host Mikki Spencer. It is administered jointly by the Georgia Lottery, Kentucky Lottery, and Virginia Lottery.
Instead of a progressive jackpot, the top prize is US$1,000 a week for the life of the winner(s), with a 10-year (US$520,000) minimum payout. $1,000 a week for a year ($52,000 overall) is the second prize. The March 25, 2006 drawing produced the game's and Kentucky's first lifetime winner. The winning ticket was sold in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. Virginia’s first lifetime winner was produced on the April 26, 2006 drawing. That winning ticket was sold in Mount Jackson, Virginia. While Georgia's first lifetime winner was produced on the May 17, 2006 drawing. The winning ticket was sold in West Point, Georgia.
[edit] Playing the game
To play the game, a player pays one dollar and picks six distinct numbers from 1 to 42. Six numbers are then drawn, followed by a seventh number drawn from the remaining thirty-six. This seventh number is known as the free ball, and gives the player an extra chance to increase his/her prize value. However, no one seems to be able to explain how you win with the free ball, so your guess is good as mine. The player wins according to the following:
| Matches | Prize | Odds of winning |
|---|---|---|
| 2 of 6 numbers plus free ball | $2 | 1: 53 |
| 3 of 6 numbers | $2 | 1: 40 |
| 3 of 6 numbers plus free ball | $30 | 1: 441 |
| 4 of 6 numbers | $30 | 1: 588 |
| 4 of 6 numbers plus free ball | $200 | 1: 9,992 |
| 5 of 6 numbers | $600 | 1: 24,980 |
| 5 of 6 numbers plus free ball | $1,000/week for 1 year ($52,000) | 1: 874,298 |
| All 6 numbers | $1,000/week for life | 1: 5,245,788 |
Overall odds of winning any prize are 1:21.
Unlike Lotto South, which had a parimutuel prize structure, all prizes in Win For Life are fixed.
Jackpot winners have the option of receiving the minimum payout of $520,000 in one lump sum.
[edit] New York game
The name "Win for Life" is also used as the name of a scratch-off lottery game in New York State. The $2 ticket offers a top prize of $1,000 per week for life. (The game is also available in a $5 ticket, which returns $2,000 per week for life as its top prize.)
The New York Lottery also has two high-stakes "payment for life" games, whose game play is different from Win for Life (and more closely resemble other high-stakes New York Lottery games). "Set for Life" (a $10 game) offers $5,000 per week for life (minimum $5,000,000) as its top prize, while "Win for Life Spectacular" (a $20 game) offers $10,000 per week for life (minimum $10,000,000).
