Lotto America
Lotto America is a multi-state lottery that offers amazing jackpot prizes, starting from $2 million, and eight additional prize tiers. The grand prize rolls over and increases if it's not won, and with no limit to how much it can grow, it's reached well over $10 million at times. Discover how this exciting game is played below.
Buying Lotto America Tickets
If you want to play Lotto America and you live outside of the participating states (listed below), you'll need to make a visit to one of those states to purchase tickets from an authorized retailer.
Multi-state games that might be available to you include Cash4Life and Lucky for Life? They are similar games that offer players the chance to win it big for the rest of their lives
How to Play Lotto America
Lotto America draws take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday after 10:15pm ET/9:15pm CT in Johnston, Iowa. A standard ticket costs just $1. To play, simply select five main numbers from a pool ranging from 1 to 52 and one bonus number, referred to as the Star Ball, from a separate pool of 1 to 10. Match all six numbers drawn to win the jackpot.
All Star Bonus
Players can also add the All Star Bonus option to their play for an extra $1 to multiply the value of prizes below the jackpot by up to 5 times. The All Star Bonus does not increase the jackpot. The All Star Bonus may be 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x, and is drawn separately, then announced with the main draw.
Draw Details
Lotto America uses a digital draw system (DDS) to carry out each draw - the five main numbers are generated first, followed by the additional Star Ball.
Drawings are not streamed live, but the winning numbers are available online shortly after they have been selected.
Participating States
15 states currently offer Lotto America tickets:
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
The Mississippi Lottery announced in April 2024 that it would join the game, starting on May 12, with Nebraska also starting to sell tickets one week later. The other states all used to participate in Hot Lotto before it ended.
Lotto America Prizes
The jackpot starts at $2 million, with the prize fund increasing after each draw without a top prize winner. There is no upper limit set for the Lotto America jackpot.
In order to win the top prize, a player must match all five main numbers and the Star Ball. The game also offers an additional eight prize tiers, with rewards starting from $2 for matching just the Star Ball. Below is a breakdown of the prize tiers, along with the odds of winning each reward:
| Prize Tier | Odds of Winning | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Star Ball | 1 in 25,989,600 | Jackpot |
| 5 | 1 in 2,887,733 | $20,000 |
| 4 + Star Ball | 1 in 110,594 | $1,000 |
| 4 | 1 in 12,288 | $100 |
| 3 + Star Ball | 1 in 2,404 | $20 |
| 3 | 1 in 267 | $5 |
| 2 + Star Ball | 1 in 160 | $5 |
| 1 + Star Ball | 1 in 29 | $2 |
| 0 + Star Ball | 1 in 17 | $2 |
All Star Bonus Number
For an additional $1 per play, players can multiply any non-jackpot prize by matching the All Star Bonus Number. Prizes can increase by 2x, 3x, 4x or even 5x their original value. Below is a table that details the total value of a prize when the All Star Bonus Number is matched:
| Prize Tier | Base Prize | X2 | X3 | X4 | X5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Star Ball | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot |
| 5 | $20,0000 | $40,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 | $100,000 |
| 4 + Star Ball | $1,000 | $2,00 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 |
| 4 | $100 | $200 | $300 | $400 | $500 |
| 3 + Star Ball | $20 | $40 | $60 | $80 | $100 |
| 3 | $5 | $10 | $15 | $20 | $25 |
| 2 + Star Ball | $5 | $10 | $15 | $20 | $25 |
| 1 + Star Ball | $2 | $4 | $6 | $8 | $10 |
| 0 + Star Ball | $2 | $4 | $6 | $8 | $10 |
Claiming a Prize
Lotto America prizes must be claimed from the state in which the winning ticket was purchased. Players who believe they have a valid jackpot claim should contact their state lottery.
History of Lotto America
Lotto America was the originally played across the US up until 1992 when the game was rebranded to become Powerball. Following a number of changes to be made by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) in the fall of 2017, Lotto America returned that November with a new game structure and nine prize tiers.
The game replaced Hot Lotto, which ended on October 28th 2017 after 15 years of draws.