Cash4Life Playing Tips, Rules and Odds of Winning
About Cash4Life
Cash4Life is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery drawing game; as of February 2020, it is offered by nine state lotteries, and is drawn nightly. Ticket sales began on June 13, 2014 in New York and New Jersey; the first drawing took place three days later.
Cash for Life is an annuity game offered by the lotteries of nine states, including Indiana, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maryland and Virginia. The first draws took place in June 2014. In New York, Cash4Life replaced Sweet Million, a draw game that was offered from 2009 to 2014.
The game is similar to another interstate lottery game called Lucky for Life. Both games give players a chance to win annuitized prizes that could change their lives forever. Cash4Life can currently be played in the following jurisdictions:
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Maryland
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Virginia
How to play Cash for Life
Ticket sales for Cash4Life close at 8:45 PM EST, with the drawing taking place every day at 9:00 PM in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. If you want to play, all you need to do is pay $2 per line, pick five numbers from 1 to 60 and select a Cash Ball number from 1 to 4. You can also opt for a Quick Pick if you don't feel like selecting your own numbers. If you match all five main numbers drawn as well as the Cash Ball, you'll have landed a sweet payday for life!
Choose (5) numbers from 1 to 60 and a Cash Ball number from 1 to 4 or select “QP” (Quik Pik).
Each play costs $2 times the number of drawings played.
*The top prize of $1,000 a day for life and the second tier prize of $1,000 a week for life will be paid annually, for a minimum of 20 years. At the time of the prize claim, the prize winner may choose to be paid in a single lump sum cash payment.
Cash4Life Rules
Each game costs $2 per drawing. Players pick five white ball numbers from 1 through 60 in the main field, plus one number from 1 through 4 from the second field, the green “Cash Ball”. Players also have the option to have the terminal randomly select the numbers in both fields. Matching all five numbers in the main field plus the Cash Ball wins, or shares ("split-prize liability"), the equivalent of $1,000-per-day-for-life, or $7,000,000 cash, at the winner's option. Second prize, however, can have multiple winners of $1,000-per-week-for-life and/or $1,000,000 cash. New Jersey Lottery regulations require that players choose either the annuity or cash option when playing. First- and second-prize winners who chose the "annuity" option can change to the cash option after winning; however, the "cash" option is binding and cannot be changed.
Cash4Life Prizes and Odds
| Matches | Prize | Approximate odds of winning (per $2 play) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Balls (60) | Cash Ball (4) | Base Prize | Doubler NJ | |
| 5 | 1 | $1,000/Day for Life (or cash option)†‡ | 1: 21,846,048 | |
| 5 | 0 | $1,000/Week for Life (or cash option)† | 1: 7,282,016 | |
| 4 | 1 | $2,500† | $5,000† | 1: 79,440 |
| 4 | 0 | $500 | $1,000† | 1: 26,480 |
| 3 | 1 | $100 | $200 | 1: 1,471 |
| 3 | 0 | $25 | $50 | 1: 490 |
| 2 | 1 | $10 | $20 | 1: 83 |
| 2 | 0 | $4 | $8 | 1: 28 |
| 1 | 1 | $2 | $4 | 1: 13 |
Claiming Cash for Life Prizes
Different states will have different rules for claiming Cash for Life prizes, so if you've won a significant sum of money on the game, you'll need to check the rules of your specific state lottery. Visit the individual state lottery pages to learn more.