Act 91 was a big one in the Keystone State. It established the Pennsylvania Lottery in 1971 and it has been a major driver of revenue and prize money ever since. The PA Lottery is also one of the most progressive in the nation, offering online and mobile ticket sales for players.
The bulk of the lottery proceeds go to help older citizens in Pennsylvania through local services and senior centers, prescription and transportation assistance, care services, and property tax and rent rebates. The PA Lottery generates upwards of $1 billion a year to help fund these programs, just to give you an idea of how big the operation is.
Players must be 18 and older.
Pennsylvania Lottery Games
From its humble beginnings with a 50-cent weekly drawing ticket in March 1972 to what is now a monster with 11 draw games, eInstants, scratch-offs, Fast Play, Keno, Xpress Sports.
Interestingly, only three of PA’s 11 draw games are multi-state endeavors, with Powerball, Mega Millions, and Cash 4 Life. The rest are state-specific draw games, including a Millionaire Raffle.
Nearly every Pennsylvania Lottery offering can be purchased online through the website or the mobile app. As a result, PA has not approved third-party sellers like Jackpocket or Jackpot.com.
Pennsylvania Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
There are three multi-state draw games in Pennsylvania and Powerball is one of them. This game is drawn on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET, with ticket sales cut off a little over an hour before the drawing on those nights.
Each play costs $2 and PA does offer the Double Play option, which adds an extra dollar to have access to a secondary drawing after the grand prize drawing. Another optional add-on is the Power Play, a multiplier of non-Jackpot prizes.
Five numbers from 1 to 69 and a Powerball number from 1 to 26 are selected. Matching all six means the grand prize. Matching the five basic numbers means $1 million and the Power Play multiplier, if that was included. The Jackpot starts at $20 and grows with each drawing without a winner.
The Pennsylvania Lottery added Powerball in 2002.
Mega Millions
Pennsylvania was one of many states to add Mega Millions to its offerings in 2010. This is another six-number draw game with five basic numbers from 1 to 70 and then a Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Each play costs $2 and drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET, with ticket sales cut off about an hour prior.
This Jackpot also starts at $20 million and grows from there. The optional add-on is the Megaplier, which costs $1 and multiplies non-Jackpot prizes.
Cash 4 Life
The Pennsylvania Lottery is part of Cash 4 Life, which is a multi-state daily draw game at 9 p.m. ET. Ticket sales are cut off at 8:45 p.m.
The top prize in this game is $1,000 a day for life, with a secondary prize of $1,000 a week for life. This is a six-number draw with numbers from 1 to 60 and then a Cash Ball from 1 to 4 as the sixth number. Matching all six hits the top prize. Matching the five basic numbers hits the secondary top prize.
Each play costs $2 with no available bonuses or add-ons. Cash 4 Life is played in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Match 6 Lotto
The Match 6 Lotto is the Pennsylvania Lottery’s state-specific lotto draw game. It is drawn every evening at 6:59 p.m. ET. Each play costs $2 and the numbers range from 1 to 49.
Each play includes a Jackpot drawing set of numbers, but also two additional sets of six numbers randomly selected by the computer. There are 18 numbers in play for a variety of different ways to win. The top prize for the Match 6 Combined Play is $2,500. The top prize for the main Match 6 base play starts at $500,000 and goes from there.
Ticket sales are cut off at 6:57 p.m. ET.
Cash 5 with Quick Cash
Cash 5 is another lotto drawing, but with five numbers instead of six. The Cash 5 numbers range from 1 to 43 and each play costs $2. Each play includes a shot at the Jackpot drawing, but also Quick Cash, which is a randomly selected number added to the ticket that is worth a $6 prize.
Drawings for this game are held nightly at 6:59 p.m. ET and ticket sales end two minutes before the game. It is worth noting that taking a lump sum is the only option for a Jackpot payout with Cash 5.
Treasure Hunt
Treasure Hunt is something of a rarity in the lottery business. This is a mid-day, five-number Jackpot drawing. Treasure Hunt is drawn at 1:35 p.m. ET by the Pennsylvania Lottery and features five numbers from 1 to 30. Each game costs $1 and the game is drawn every single day.
The top prize is based on ticket sales and the Jackpot is won by matching all five numbers.
Ticket sales are cut off at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Pick 5
Pick 5 is the biggest of four such draw games. There are Pick 5 drawings during the day at 1:35 p.m. ET and in the evening at 6:59 p.m. ET. This game is played seven days a week and consists of five balls from 0 to 9 to make a five-digit number.
Each play costs 50 cents or $1 and there is a Wild Ball to add on. Wild Ball doubles the cost of any play type. There are a lot of play types for Pick 5 with Straight, Box, Front Pair, Back Pair, Front Three, Back Three, Front Four, and Back Four. The Wild Ball can factor into all of those types.
The top prize available with this game is $50,000 for matching all five digits straight in a row. Ticket sales cut off at 1:05 for the afternoon and 6:57 for the evening drawings.
Pick 4
Pick 4 is Pick 5 minus a ball. There are also two drawings daily for this game at the same times, 1:35 p.m. ET and 6:59 p.m. ET. The top prize here is $5,000 for matching the four-digit number straight across.
Each play costs 50 cents or $1, with a ticket minimum of $1. The play types available with Pick 4 are Straight, Box, or Straight/Box, so there aren’t quite as many options as there are with Pick 5, but still plenty of ways to win. There is also the Wild Ball for double the cost of each play.
Ticket sales cut off at 1:05 for the afternoon and 6:57 for the evening drawings.
Pick 3
Pick 3 is Pick 5 minus two balls and Pick 4 minus one ball, as players look to take the numbers from 0 to 9 and put together a three-digit number. This game is also played twice a day at 1:35 and 6:59 p.m. ET. There are more play types here, with Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Super Straight, Front Pair, and Back Pair. Super Straight means the number can come either way, so 123 or 321, but has to be in straight order.
Each play type costs 50 cents or $1 with a minimum full ticket cost of $1. Wild Ball is part of the equation here as well and doubles the cost of any single play. The top prize here is $500 for matching the number straight across.
Ticket sales cut off at 1:05 for the afternoon and 6:57 for the evening drawings.
Pick 2
Pick 2 from the Pennsylvania Lottery is exactly what it sounds like. Two balls are drawn from 0 to 9 to form a two-digit number and that drawing is held twice a day at 1:35 and 6:59 p.m. ET. Wild Ball is part of the equation with this game as well for those who wish to use it.
The play types here are Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Super Straight, Front Digit, and Back Digit and are 50 cents or $1 each.
The top prize with this game is $50. Ticket sales cut off at 1:05 for the afternoon and 6:57 for the evening drawings.
Millionaire Raffle
Pennsylvania offers the Millionaire Raffle in which there are four top prizes of $1 million and four second prizes of $100,000. There are 500,000 raffle tickets sold for $20 each. When that number is reached, ticket sales are finished.
In 2024, the PA Lottery also offered the 4s Galore drawing, which awarded four prizes of $50,000 during four different periods of the raffle-ticket buying period.
Those prizes could only be claimed at a PA Lottery ticket office.
Keno
We’ll group Keno in as a draw game here, as the Pennsylvania Lottery offers new games every four minutes.
The PA Lottery runs Keno like most other lotteries, as players can pick up to 10 “spots” and then 20 numbers are drawn at random. Matching as many numbers as possible is the goal and players can win up to $100,000 with the base game.
For an additional cost that triples the price of a ticket, players can pick the Keno Multiplier, which is randomly selected as 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x.
Keno plays cost $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, or $20 per game for the base and double that for using the multiplier option.
Pennsylvania Lottery Fast Play Games
The PA Lottery also offers Fast Play games at approved retailers. These outcomes are randomly selected by the computer terminal at time of purchase and some feature Progressive Jackpots. Many of these games are seasonal themes that are only available around holidays, but there are year-round games as well. Some are even available in scratch-off format or are eligible for second chance promotions.
The PA Lottery website will have information on how to play the game, as well as the top prizes that are available.
Pennsylvania Lottery eInstants
Nearly all of the draw games listed above can be purchased online through the PA Lottery website or Pennsylvania Lottery App. There are also “eInstant” games that can be played in the state as well. These are basically a combination of a slot machine and a scratch-off ticket, but there is no need to scratch and the games only take a few clicks to play.
The outcome of the game is random and each play ranges from 10 cents to $10. On the Pennsylvania Lottery website, all of the games available for purchase online are grouped together, including the ability to buy tickets for the draw games.
Pennsylvania Lottery Scratch-Offs
For those looking for a more traditional way to play, the PA Lottery offers dozens of scratch-off tickets, ranging from $1 to as high as $50. Most scratch-offs cannot be purchased through the PA Lottery website, but some, including seasonal and pop culture themes are sometimes available as an eInstant.
Games are also clearly marked online as to which ones are eligible for second chance promotions. The website and approved retailers also display how many top prizes are still available with the games that are running.
Pennsylvania Lottery Xpress Sports
The PA Lottery also offers something pretty unique called Xpress Sports, which is a lot like Keno. It is a random drawing played every four minutes with games that simulate your favorite sports. As of 2024, Derby Cash Horse Racing and End Zone Cash were the two games available. The PA Lottery also offered a Car Racing version that year.
Players can play in amounts of $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, or $20. Each game has its own set of rules and wager types. For example, with End Zone Cash, there are eight “games” with win probabilities attached to each team and players have to put together a parlay of at least three teams to win. There is a Touchdown Multiplier feature that triples the cost of a ticket.
Derby Cash is like picking a horse race with win, place, show, quinella, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, and box wagering available. Plays start at 10 cents and 50 cents with this game for playing exotics, but the above amounts apply for picking win, place, show, or a quinella.
Pennsylvania Lottery App
The Pennsylvania Lottery App and the Pennsylvania VIP Players Club are basically housed together, though you can access the Players Club through the website as well. The website and app are similar, in that you can buy tickets for draw games, eInstants, Keno, and some of the other games right from your computer or the palm of your hand.
It is also the best place to find out about special promotions and events, including the tickets that are eligible for second chance drawings. Both also serve as ways to find in-person retailers, learn about how to claim prizes, and a whole lot more.
How To Claim Pennsylvania Lottery Prizes
Pennsylvania is different in that prizes up to $2,500 can be approved at a PA Lottery retailer. Most states set that threshold at $600, however, anything over $600 does require a claim form, which can be printed online. These prizes can also be claimed by mail.
Prizes of more than $2,500 can only be paid by the Lottery itself. Players can claim those by mail or at a Lottery Area Office.
Jackpot prizes can only be claimed at the Lottery Headquarters in Middletown.
Lottery prizes are subject to a 3.07% state personal income tax. The PA Lottery automatically withholds winnings for more than $5,000.
In PA, winners cannot remain anonymous.
Pennsylvania Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Can Pennsylvania Lottery Tickets Be Purchased Online?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Lottery sells all of its own online and mobile lottery tickets, which are available on the website or through the Lottery App.
How Many Pennsylvania Lottery Retailers Are There?
There are more than 10,000 approved lottery retailers in the state of Pennsylvania.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play The Pennsylvania Lottery?
Players must be 18 years of age or older to enjoy the Pennsylvania Lottery.