The New York Lotto is a popular lottery game known for historically large jackpots throughout the game's history. Understanding the impact of large jackpots on ticket sales and the odds of winning a prize may help you develop a strategy about when to play and how many tickets to order for this attractive lottery game. Join Jackpocket as we delve into the largest NY Jackpots in history!
Overview of the New York Lotto
If you have never played New York Lotto before and are curious about how it works, play is simple. You already know how to play if you have ever played Mega Millions or Powerball. Just like Mega Millions, you will pick six numbers between 1 and 59. The more numbers you match, the more you win. Quick Pick is also an option for NY Lotto.
Here is how NY Lotto is a bit different. Instead of having a bonus ball like the Mega Ball that you choose from a separate group of numbers, you pick six numbers. During the drawing, a seventh number will be drawn. This is a bonus number. You can match this seventh number with any five other numbers on your ticket and win the second prize, which equates to 7.25% of the grand prize for that drawing.
New York Lotto History
The New York Lotto history dates back to November 1978, when the first drawing was held and aired on WNEW-TV. This was New York’s first official state lottery game. The grand prize was $250,000. New York Lotto was a little more like Powerball then. You had to match five numbers (the white balls in Powerball) and a supplementary number (the red Powerball in that game).
Lotto changed in 1985, increasing the maximum New York Lotto payout to $50 million. Also, a change to the number of balls to choose from was announced. Instead of five numbers and a supplementary number, players now needed to choose from six numbers between 1 and 40. This created the game you know and love today. The jackpot starts at $2 million and increases by $300,000 for each drawing where there is no jackpot winner. The jackpot keeps rolling over until someone takes home the grand prize.
Does New York Lotto Include Powerball and Mega Millions?
Powerball and Mega Millions are available in New York but are separate games from the New York Lotto game. Mega Millions and Powerball are multistate games, meaning multiple states participate in each drawing (and sometimes multiple winners, too). To play the New York Lotto, you must physically be present in New York when ordering your lottery tickets.
Record-Breaking NY Lotto Jackpot Amounts
Over the years, there have been several record-breaking jackpots, with the largest being the NY Lotto jackpot, which was $90 million, won by nine lucky ticket holders. Let’s take a look at some top New York Lotto payouts:
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$90 million - won in January 1991
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$65 million - won in June 2007.
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$41 million - won in August 1985
Here are the top 10 largest NY Lotto jackpots since 2020:
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$19.2 million - won March 23, 2024
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$18.9 million - won July 20, 2022
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$18.4 million - won Feb. 1, 2023
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$15.7 million - won Jan. 20, 2021
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$9.6 million - won Sept. 2, 2023
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$8.7 million - won July 14, 2021
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$8.3 million - won Nov. 24, 2021, by three players
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$8.2 million - won May 6, 2020
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$3.7 million - won March 29, 2023
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$3.2 million - won May 13, 2023
Lotto Payouts and Winning Stories
If you’re lucky enough to hit one of the largest NY Lotto jackpots, you will have a choice to make. The jackpot equals 30% of total sales for that drawing, which can add up to a lot of money. If you’re the lucky winner, you can take the prize as a lump sum (the lump sum equals the cash required to purchase the annuity) or an annuity. Payments for the annuity will be paid out annually over 25 years.
Here’s an interesting New York Lotto winner story for you. Degli Martinez won the $65 million prize we discussed earlier. He holds the prize for the largest winner from a single ticket for NY Lotto. He received a receipt confirming his win but then lost his ticket! However, luck was on his side. The one-year claim period expired, and no one else came forward to claim the prize. This meant that lottery officials could pay him out based on his claim ticket. Lucky for him, no one found his winning ticket and tried to claim the prize for themselves!
The $90 million prize was won after the New York lottery canceled the Lotto drawing scheduled for Jan. 23, 1991, for a “Super Lotto,” with a $90 million prize held three days later. The original lottery drawing was canceled to boost the “Super Lotto” jackpot. Nine winning tickets split the grand prize.
How the NY Lotto Has Evolved Over the Years
There have been a couple of updates since NY Lotto’s inception in 1978. In 1985, the supplementary ball was removed from the draw and players had to then choose six numbers from the regular number group (players had 48 numbers to choose from instead of 44). In November 2020, the drawing time was updated to fit more with the desires of lottery lovers and retailers.
What Happens After You Win the Jackpot
Find yourself a lucky winner of one of the largest NY Lotto jackpots? Congratulations! Whether you won a large jackpot or another prize, here’s what to know:
If you ordered your ticket using Jackpocket, you can sit back and relax. You know you won because you received a notification from us. Lucky you! If you have won up to $600 (the threshold in NY), we will credit your account automatically with the amount won. If your prize is larger, we will securely send you a ticket to claim your prize. You can claim your prize in person at any New York Lottery Customer Service Center, a Prize Claim Center or by mail.
Download the claim form from the New York Lottery website to get started.
