Lucky for Life

Lucky for Life (LFL) is a lottery drawing game available in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Lucky for Life, which began in 2009 in Connecticut as Lucky-4-Life, became a New England-wide game three years later, and added eleven lotteries during 2015. LFL's slogan is "The Game of a Lifetime." Drawings remain in Connecticut; Lucky for Life is drawn Mondays and Thursdays at 10:38 pm Eastern Time, using two drawing machines and numbered balls.[1]

Lucky for Life was modified on September 17, 2013, adding a second "lifetime" prize tier, and a cash option for either annuity tier; LFL was modified again in January 2015 to its current format. Each Lucky for Life play costs $2.

With the District of Columbia joining Lucky for Life (the first member added without changing the game's double matrix) on February 15, 2015, Kentucky on March 22, 2015, Ohio on November 15, 2015, Iowa on January 24, 2016, and North Carolina on February 7, 2016, Lucky for Life currently has 19 members. Colorado and North Dakota (see below) also are among those expected to join LFL in 2016; one other state (unannounced) also has committed to the game beginning in 2016.

First- and second-prize payouts

Unlike other American lottery games (the exception being the six-state Cash4Life) Lucky for Life offers two annuitized prize levels; both are advertised as "lifetime" prizes. Beginning with the 2013 game modification, a first-prize winner can choose cash in lieu of the lifetime annuity; second-prize winners also are offered a cash option. A first-prize winner, if the annuity is chosen, receives, or shares, the equivalent of "$1,000 a day for life" (the timing of the payments is according to the rules where the ticket was sold), with a 20-year guarantee; if the winner dies, payments continue to the winner's estate.[2] Second prize is $25,000 per year for life.

Lucky for Life uses a 5/48 (white balls) + 1/18 (green "Lucky Balls") draw matrix; its 2013 game modification had 43 balls in each of the two drums, while the previous version was 5/40 + 1/21. (The Connecticut-only game drew 4 of 39 white balls and 1 of 19 green "Lucky Balls"; hence the name Lucky4Life.)

The 5/43 + 1/43 version never produced a top prize-winning ticket; the first winner under the current matrix was sold in South Carolina for the November 19, 2015 drawing; the winner, who claimed the prize anonymously under SCEL rules, is the first winner to choose cash in lieu of the annuity for the game's top prize, as all previous top prize winners are receiving their winnings under the game's pre-2013 rules.

Prize chart

A player wins a prize according to the following chart (effective January 27, 2015):

Matches Prize Approximate
probability
of winning on a $2 bet
White balls
(48)		 Lucky Ball
(18)
5 1 $1,000/day or cash option† 1: 30,821,472
5 0 $25,000/year or cash option†‡ 1: 1,813,028
4 1 $5,000‡ 1: 143,356
4 0 $200 1: 8433
3 1 $150 1: 3413
2 1 $25 1: 250
3 0 $20 1: 201
1 1 $6 1: 50
0 1 $4 1: 32
2 0 $3 1: 15

†First-prize cash option is $5,750,000; multiple winners share the top prize regardless of payment option(s) chosen. Second-prize cash option is $390,000. The cash option amounts are decided by a unanimous vote of the LFL lotteries; these amounts are posted at least 30 days before the change(s) occur.

‡Second and third prizes also have liability limits.

The prize pool is approximately 60 percent of sales.

The overall odds of winning are 1:7.8[3]

Lucky for Life members

Current members

The minimum age to play LFL is 18, except in Iowa, where it is 21.[7]

Future members

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.neluckyforlife.com/about/ (retrieved April 2, 2012)
  2. ↑ https://www.nhlottery.com/Games/LuckyForLife/Rules.aspx (retrieved April 2, 2012)
  3. ↑ "Lucky For Life Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Kentucky Lottery players can now become Lucky For Life!". 20 March 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Ohio: You Could be Lucky For Life!". Lucky for Life official website. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Lucky for Life Rules & Regulations". Ohio Lottery official website. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Buying Tickets". www.ialottery.com. Iowa Lottery. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "North Dakota looks to add Lucky for Life lottery game". June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ https://www.coloradolottery.com/Repository/Documents/meetings/files/file827.pdf

External links

Official website

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