How To Play The Florida Lottery And Your Odds Of Actually Winning
If you've ever dreamed of hitting it big with a spur of the moment lottery ticket, you certainly aren't alone. Almost every state has their own lottery, and despite the fact that lottery winners have to pay a significant portion of their winnings in taxes, it can still be quite profitable for lucky winners. According to data from Search Logistics, Americans spent approximately $108 billion on lottery tickets in 2022 (to put that into perspective, that equates to about $325 per person nationwide). And, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, analyzed by The Motley Fool, the Florida lottery specifically brought in more than $8 billion in revenue in 2022, meaning a lot of consumers with lottery fever are hoping for their chance to win.
The first Florida state lottery tickets went on sale in 1988 with the purpose of raising money for educational initiatives, and it has only grown in popularity since. Today, there are numerous scratcher games available to play, along with 11 different draw games, each with their own odds. Of the state's 11 draw games, two are shared with other states — Powerball and Mega Millions. However, the rest of the draw games offered are played only within Florida and include games like Florida Lotto, Cash 4 Life, Jackpot Triple Play, Cash Pop, and Fantasy 5. Lottery players also have the opportunity to win smaller prizes via the Pick 5, Pick 4, Pick 3, and Pick 2 games.
Your odds of winning
Save the Student, a U.K.-based publication, found that you are 64 times more likely to be crushed by a meteor than win the lottery. And yet, people continue to play, with Florida paying out more than $6.3 billion in prizes between 2021 and 2022 alone, according to the Florida Lottery Annual Report. Although you may be more likely to be struck by lightning than win, it is possible (and some are lucky enough to do it twice).
When it comes to your odds, they largely depend on the game you're playing. Since the amount of available numbers varies from game to game, this impacts the likelihood of your selected numbers being chosen — although some recommend strategies like buying a lot of tickets to increase your odds. For Florida Lotto, a twice-weekly draw of six numbers out of a possible 53, the odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in almost 23 million. For non-jackpot prizes, the odds increase significantly to 1 in a little over 81,000 for five out of six numbers, 1 in almost 1,500 for four out of six numbers, and 1 in 70.79 for three out of six numbers. Other games, like Mega Millions and Powerball, have lower odds thanks to fewer choices out of more possible numbers. For example, you'll have to choose 5 numbers out of a possible 73 to play Mega Millions and 5 out of 59 numbers for the Powerball meaning your odds of winning are 1 in 302.5 million and 1 in 292.2 million, respectively.
What to know if you want to play
If you want to take home a prize, it's best to arm yourself with a few facts before playing so that you don't miss out on your share of the pot. For starters, tickets must be purchased in person in the state of Florida, but you don't have to be a Florida resident to play (although winning is a bit tricky for nonresidents). Tickets aren't available online or by mail, but there are more than 13,000 authorized retailers you can purchase tickets for the state's multiple lottery games from, including scratchers. If you end up having a winning ticket, it must be claimed within 180 days of the draw to be valid on draw games, and for scratcher games, you have 60 days after that particular game has ended to turn in your ticket and claim your prize.
To sweeten the pot, Florida also offers optional game features giving additional opportunities to win on non-jackpot prizes. These include XTRA for Lotto, Megaplier for Mega Millions, EZ Match for the Lucky Money Game, and Power Play for the Powerball. When you add this option to your ticket and win a prize, you have the potential of increasing your winnings. For example, if you add the XTRA option to your Florida Lotto ticket (the additional cost is $1), your extra investment could get you two to five times the original prize amount — if you win a prize to begin with.