Millionaire for Life guide: when and where it's drawn, the 31 places that sell it, and how often it pays
Millionaire for Life is a $5 draw game with a top prize of $1 million a year for life. It launched February 22, 2026, replacing Cash4Life and Lucky for Life in 28 of the 31 places that offer it, and it has been drawn every night since. Here is how it works, as of October 23, 2026.
Drawings are held nightly at 11:15 p.m. Eastern, 10:15 p.m. Central. They are conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, by the Multi-State Lottery Association, using a digital draw system that picks the numbers at random, according to LotteryUSA, so there are no physical balls. Each state sets its own cutoff for buying tickets; in Iowa, sales stop at 8:59 p.m. Central.
Players pick five numbers from 1 to 58 and a Millionaire Ball from 1 to 5. There are nine ways to win, and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 8.46, according to the association's launch announcement.
| Match | Prize | Odds (1 in) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Millionaire Ball | $1,000,000 a year for life, or $18 million cash | 22,910,580 |
| 5 | $100,000 a year for life, or $2.2 million cash | 5,727,645 |
| 4 + Millionaire Ball | $7,500 | 86,455 |
| 4 | $500 | 21,614 |
| 3 + Millionaire Ball | $250 | 1,663 |
| 3 | $50 | 416 |
| 2 + Millionaire Ball | $25 | 98 |
| 2 | $8 | 24 |
| 1 + Millionaire Ball | $8 | 16 |
Both lifetime prizes come with a guaranteed minimum of 20 years of payments, so a winner's estate collects even if the winner dies early. Up to 20 second-prize winners in one drawing each get the full $100,000 a year, the Iowa Lottery says. The game is sold in 30 states and D.C.: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
In the 242 drawings from February 22 through October 21, three tickets have hit the top prize, on April 27, May 21, and September 8. The September winner, a ticket from Maple Heights, Ohio, was claimed by a trust that took the $18 million cash. The second prize has been won eight times, including in Iowa, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, and twice in Michigan, where an Ingham County woman chose $100,000 a year. Whether the $5 game beats the old $2 Cash4Life is covered here, and the Millionaire for Life analysis shows what the prizes are worth after taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Millionaire for Life drawing?
Every night at 11:15 p.m. Eastern, 10:15 p.m. Central, according to Powerball and the Iowa Lottery. Ticket sales stop earlier and the cutoff varies by state; in Iowa it is 8:59 p.m. Central.
Where are Millionaire for Life drawings held?
Drawings are conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, by the Multi-State Lottery Association using a digital draw system that randomly picks the numbers, according to LotteryUSA. There are no physical balls or televised drawing.
Which states have Millionaire for Life?
Thirty states and D.C., including New York, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia. Big states including California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois do not sell it, as of October 23, 2026.
Jessie Jurado is a news writer who covers new scratch-off launches, state lottery guides, taxes on winnings, news, and much more. She joined ScratchCheck in 2026 and writes the site's state-by-state coverage.
