Updated: September 2026 · Sources: New York State Gaming Commission regulations 9 NYCRR §5008.7 and §5002.10, and the official New York Lottery game pages.
New York Lotto is the oldest game in the New York Lottery line-up and it is built differently from almost every other state jackpot game. A dollar buys two panels, a seventh ball decides the second prize tier, and nearly every prize is pari-mutuel. Getting those three facts straight changes how you read your ticket.
How New York Lotto Works
You pick 6 numbers from 1 to 59. Seven balls are drawn: six winning numbers plus a Bonus number, which only affects the second prize tier. Drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday, and the jackpot starts at $2 million and rolls over until it is won.
| Detail | New York Lotto |
|---|---|
| Matrix | 6 of 59, plus a Bonus ball drawn from the same pool |
| Drawing days | Wednesday and Saturday |
| Price | $1 buys two panels (two separate six-number plays) |
| Jackpot odds | 1 in 45,057,474 per panel — 1 in 22,528,737 per $1 play |
| Starting jackpot | $2 million |
| Claim deadline | One year from the drawing date |
That pricing quirk matters when you compare games. Per panel, the odds are 1 in 45,057,474 — C(59,6). Because the minimum purchase is two panels for a dollar, the state's own regulation quotes the effective jackpot odds per play as 1 in 22,528,737. Either way it is around six to thirteen times friendlier than Powerball, depending on which figure you compare.
The Bonus Number: One Tier Only
This is the single most misunderstood part of the game. The Bonus number is the seventh ball drawn, and it is used to split the second prize tier: matching five of the six main numbers plus the Bonus pays substantially more than matching five without it. It does nothing for the jackpot, and it does nothing for the lower tiers.
You do not pick a Bonus number. You cannot play it. It simply applies to the six numbers already on your ticket, which is why a New York Lotto slip has no extra section — unlike Powerball's red ball or California's Mega number, which are chosen from separate pools.
Prize Tiers
| Match | Prize |
|---|---|
| 6 of 6 | Jackpot, minimum $2 million, pari-mutuel among winners |
| 5 of 6 + Bonus | Pari-mutuel second prize — historically in the six-figure range |
| 5 of 6 | Pari-mutuel, typically a few thousand dollars |
| 4 of 6 | Pari-mutuel, typically tens of dollars |
| 3 of 6 | $1 fixed |
Every tier except the $1 three-match is pari-mutuel, so the tier's share of the prize pool is split among that drawing's winners. Amounts move from drawing to drawing, and the published figure for your drawing on the New York Lottery site is the one that counts — not a typical figure quoted anywhere else, including this page.
Taxes and Claiming in New York
New York withholds state income tax on lottery prizes above $5,000, and residents of New York City and Yonkers face additional local withholding on top. New York is consistently one of the most expensive places in the country to hold a winning ticket, which is precisely the comparison in our state tax guide. State rates have shifted in recent years, so confirm the current withholding percentages on the New York Lottery's claim page rather than trusting an older article.
Federal withholding of 24% applies to large prizes, with the final bill reaching the top federal bracket of 37%. Before deciding between the annuity and the cash value, read lump sum vs annuity — in a high-tax state the arithmetic behind that choice is worth real money.
Claims must be made within one year of the drawing under New York State Gaming Commission regulations, which is more generous than most states' 90 to 180 days. New York publicises winner information, so consult an attorney about claiming options before you come forward with a large prize.
Hot and Cold Numbers: The Straight Answer
We do not publish a New York Lotto frequency table. The draw history we store and validate covers Powerball and Mega Millions only; we have not verified a reliable feed for the state game, and putting up a plausible-looking list of "hot" numbers would be fabrication. The New York Lottery publishes its own past results.
The deeper point is that a frequency table would not tell you what to play anyway. Each drawing is independent. All 59 numbers have the same chance in every drawing, whether one of them came up last Saturday or has been absent for a year. Over a few hundred drawings the spread between the most and least common numbers is exactly what random chance produces, and the ordering reshuffles whenever you change the date range.
Frequency is a record, not a prediction, and it is genuinely useful for making a choice rather than freezing over a blank slip. That is how we present the data we do have. Our guide to overdue numbers goes through the gambler's fallacy in detail.
The Strategy With a Real Effect
Because every meaningful tier is pari-mutuel, who else picked your numbers directly affects your payout. Birthdays keep most players inside 1 to 31, which leaves 32 to 59 comparatively under-played in a 59-number game — a bigger under-played band than in most state games. Slip patterns and sequences like 1-2-3-4-5-6 are also chosen far more often than randomness would suggest.
Skewing your line toward the high end and avoiding tidy patterns does not improve your chance of matching six numbers. It reduces the number of people you split with when you do, which in a pari-mutuel game is the only lever you actually control. See Quick Pick vs Your Own Numbers.
New York Lotto vs the National Games
Powerball is 1 in 292,201,338 and Mega Millions 1 in 290,472,336; New York Lotto is 1 in 22,528,737 per $1 play. The state game is dramatically easier to win and dramatically smaller when you do — $2 million minimum against jackpots that regularly pass $500 million. Neither is objectively better value; they buy different daydreams. Our Powerball vs Mega Millions comparison covers the two national games, and lottery odds explained shows how all three figures are calculated.
Common Questions
Do I choose the Bonus number? No. It is drawn after the six main numbers and applies automatically to the second prize tier.
Why are two panels a dollar? It is how the game has always been priced. You get two independent six-number plays, which is why the quoted odds per play are half the per-panel odds.
Does order matter? Never. Results are published low to high purely for readability.
How long do I have to claim? One year from the drawing date. Check old tickets — see how to check lottery numbers.
Build Your Line
Our number generator covers New York Lotto through the custom range option: 1–59, pick 6. Generate twice if you want both panels of a $1 play.
For entertainment purposes only. Official New York Lottery results and rules always take precedence. Must be 18+. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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