What Is The California Super Lotto Plus?
California’s state lottery was a hit from its inception in 1984, so much so that a second game with opportunities to win both a primary and secondary jackpot was created in 1986, originally called simply Super Lotto. In 2000, it was decided that there would be two official weekly drawings, and the game’s name was changed to Super Lotto Plus. Aside from the name change and added drawing day, the game remained the same. Its betting premise is that the game’s jackpot starts at seven million dollars. Two sets of numbers are selected from a mechanical lottery ball “tank”. Drawings are done at 7:57 P.M. U.S. Western time, or 8:00 P.M. General Mountain time. The first selection consists of five numbers drawn from forty-seven balls. The second number is a single “Mega Number” drawn from a pool of twenty-five numbers. Like the completely separate multi-state “Mega Millions” lottery game, Super Lotto Plus is a parimutuel game, sometimes known as a “rolling jackpot”. This means that the actual jackpot may differ from the one advertised before drawing. This also means that although they’re drawing from the same primary source, the winners of the two jackpots may win differing amounts.
Is It Worth Playing California Super Lotto Plus?
This intrastate lottery game occasionally offers some impressive payouts. Its record jackpot was $193,000,000. Other big pots were $72,000,000 and $65,000,000. More recent jackpots have topped out around $30,000,000.
Super Lotto Plus Payouts
Winners can choose between lump-sum cash options (taxes are deducted before winnings are released), or receiving winnings in the form of annuities. Super Lotto Plus winners receive a total of thirty annual payments under this system. The first payment is 1.81% of the total jackpot. The last payment is 5.56% of the total jackpot, or triple the amount of the first payment.
Pros And Cons Of Playing Super Lotto Plus
PRO: Twice weekly betting and five digit system increase odds of winning as opposed to say, going through a bookmaker. CONS: Twice weekly betting actually can reduce the size of the jackpot. This game’s biggest jackpots actually were larger before the game became Super Lotto Plus. This is also a game where unless you’re willing to invest a fairly large amount of money, you’re unlikely to win an even larger amount of it.
Can You Actually Win Big Super Lotto Prizes?
You can certainly increase your odds if you do the following:
1. Examine the numbers on the ticket carefully before leaving the lottery agent.
Are they the ones that you’ve chosen? They’re not going to be letting you pencil in “the one you meant” down at lottery headquarters!
2. Sign and date the back of your ticket before leaving the lottery agent.
This a major mistake many lottery players make, no matter what the game, and it costs them hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Who wins lottery prizes that the winner can’t claim? Generally, it’s the lottery agent that sold the ticket. Bob at Speedy Mart is a nice guy and all, but do you want him collecting your $30,000,000 Super Lotto Plus prize?
3. Claim prizes quickly.
That thirty year old winning lottery ticket that’s still good is a fantasy. Under California state law, you have only three months to collect your prize.
4. Play With a Group
Yes, if you win you have to share, but “groupon” (more formally known as a syndicate) playing both reduces the cost of ticket prices and increases the odds of winning.
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