What happened to Lucky for Life and Cash4Life?
Both were retired together. The Connecticut Lottery's Lucky for Life page says "the last drawing for Lucky for Life was Saturday, February 21, 2026," and the New Jersey Lottery's Cash4Life page now says the game has ended. The next day, a new game took over: the Iowa Lottery says Millionaire for Life "launched Feb. 22, 2026, in Iowa and 30 other jurisdictions."
For anyone checking an old ticket or curious how the games worked, here are the basics while they ran:
| Lucky for Life | Cash4Life | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2 | $2 |
| Numbers | 5 from 1 to 48, plus a Lucky Ball from 1 to 18 | 5 from 1 to 60, plus a Cash Ball from 1 to 4 |
| Draws | Nightly | Nightly, about 9:00 PM ET |
| Top prize | $1,000 a day for life, or $5.75 million cash | $1,000 a day for life, or up to $7 million cash |
| Top-prize odds | 1 in 30,821,472 | 1 in 21,846,048 |
| Second prize | $25,000 a year for life, or $390,000 cash | $1,000 a week for life, or up to $1 million cash |
| Odds of any prize | 1 in 7.8 | About 1 in 8 |
Lucky for Life's lower prizes ran from $3 (two white balls) to $5,000 (four plus the Lucky Ball). Unclaimed winning tickets from the final drawings can still be cashed until the selling state's claim deadline runs out; see how long you have to claim.
How does Millionaire for Life work?
According to the official Millionaire for Life page, a play costs $5 and the game is drawn every night at 11:15 PM ET. You pick five numbers from 1 to 58 and one Millionaire Ball from 1 to 5. It's sold in 31 jurisdictions: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, 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.
The prize table, as published by the Connecticut Lottery:
| Match | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Millionaire Ball | $1 million a year for life, or $18 million cash | 1 in 22,910,580 |
| 5 | $100,000 a year for life, or $2.2 million cash | 1 in 5,727,645 |
| 4 + Millionaire Ball | $7,500 | 1 in 86,456 |
| 4 | $500 | 1 in 21,614 |
| 3 + Millionaire Ball | $250 | 1 in 1,663 |
| 3 | $50 | 1 in 416 |
| 2 + Millionaire Ball | $25 | 1 in 98 |
| 2 | $8 | 1 in 25 |
| 1 + Millionaire Ball | $8 | 1 in 16 |
The overall odds of winning a prize are about 1 in 8.5. The top-prize odds are roughly 13 times better than a Powerball jackpot (1 in 292.2 million), which is the usual trade: better odds, a smaller prize. The ticket costs two and a half times what the old games did; see how much lottery tickets cost for comparison, and lottery odds explained for how the numbers are calculated.
What does "for life" actually mean?
It means an annual payment for as long as the winner lives, with a minimum number of payments guaranteed. Connecticut's Millionaire for Life rules describe the top prize as "annual installments of $1,000,000 per year for the winner's life, with a minimum guarantee of annual payments for 20 years." The second prize works the same way at $100,000 a year.
If the winner dies before 20 years of payments, the lottery pays the rest of the guaranteed payments "to the winner's estate or beneficiary." If the winner dies after year 20, payments stop. A long life is where the annuity pays off: someone who won $1 million a year at 30 and lived to 90 would collect about $60 million.
There's a limit for shared claims. Under Connecticut's rules, if the prize is claimed by more than one person, by a legal entity such as a trust, or by a minor or a group that includes a minor, the annuity is limited to 20 annual payments rather than a lifetime. For the estate side of any lottery annuity, see what happens to a lottery annuity when you die.
Lifetime payments or cash?
The cash options can look small next to a lifetime of payments, but they're paid up front. Lucky for Life's $5.75 million top-prize cash option equaled about 16 years of its $365,000-a-year payments. Millionaire for Life's $18 million equals 18 years of $1 million payments, a little under the $20 million the 20-year guarantee would pay.
Age and health are the main factors. A lifetime annuity has no ceiling, so a young, healthy winner who expects to live well past 20 more years may come out ahead taking it. An older winner is likely to collect less than the cash option's value. Cash can also be invested immediately, which is the same reasoning behind the lump sum versus annuity choice on jackpots.
Either way, the prize is taxable. Annual payments are taxed as income in the year you receive them, and a lump sum is taxed all in the year you take it. For prizes over $5,000, the lottery withholds 24% for federal tax (30% for non-resident aliens), and state tax depends on where you bought the ticket and where you live. See the federal and state lottery tax breakdown.
Lifetime lottery prizes: common questions
What does $1,000 a day for life actually mean?
It was a lifetime annuity, $365,000 a year, with at least 20 years of payments guaranteed. If the winner died sooner, the remaining guaranteed payments went to their estate or beneficiary. Winners could take a cash option instead.
What was the cash option for Lucky for Life and Cash4Life?
Lucky for Life's top prize had a $5.75 million cash option and its second prize $390,000. Cash4Life's cash options were up to $7 million for the top prize and up to $1 million for the second prize.
What were the odds of winning Lucky for Life or Cash4Life?
The top-prize odds were 1 in 30,821,472 for Lucky for Life and 1 in 21,846,048 for Cash4Life. Millionaire for Life's top-prize odds are 1 in 22,910,580.
What happens to lifetime lottery payments when the winner dies?
Payments are guaranteed for 20 years. If the winner dies within that period, the remaining guaranteed payments go to the estate or beneficiary; after 20 years, payments end at death.
What replaced Lucky for Life and Cash4Life?
Millionaire for Life, starting February 22, 2026. It costs $5, draws nightly at 11:15 PM Eastern in 31 jurisdictions, and pays $1 million a year for life (or $18 million cash) for the top prize.
Draw times for this and other games are in lottery drawing times, and your state's games are on its page from the results homepage. The national problem gambling helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET.
Sources: Powerball.com Millionaire for Life page, Connecticut Lottery game pages for Millionaire for Life and Lucky for Life, New Jersey Lottery Cash4Life page, Iowa Lottery Millionaire for Life page.
