New York proposes tougher Millionaire for Life prize rules

ALBANY — A key prize in New York’s Millionaire for Life game could become far harder to win. 

That’s according to changes proposed by the state Gaming Commission, which aims to shift the prize structure for the multi-state lottery game. 

Millionaire for Life, a draw game, is best known for its top prize of $1 million a year for life, along with its second-prize offering of $100,000 a year for the same duration. 

While the proposal leaves the top prize unchanged, it alters the conditions under which players can access the second-prize annuity that has become a defining feature of the game, according to a proposed rule published by the Department of State on Wednesday. 

Under the proposed changes, second-prize winners would only qualify for the $100,000 annuity if there are seven or fewer runner-up-prize-winning tickets sold across all participating lottery jurisdictions.

Right now, that threshold is 20 winners. 

There are a host of other changes proposed to the Millionaire for Life game, which is coordinated through the Multi-State Lottery Association that also operates Powerball. 

If adopted, the changes would go into effect in September and would reduce the circumstances under which players could receive the lifetime annuity prize. 

Under the current rules, the annual-for-life payment is available unless 21 or more players win the second-prize tier. The proposed framework says that the annuity option would disappear entirely once the number of second-prize winners reaches eight.

The total second-prize liability under those higher-winner scenarios would be capped and divided equally among all winning tickets. Winners would receive a single lump-sum payment instead of annual lifetime installments. 

The Gaming Commission said in regulatory filings that the changes are necessary because the Multi-State Lottery Association amended the game’s operating rules and participating lotteries must adopt those changes if they want to continue offering the game. 

“The alternative to this amendment is to cease participation in this multi-jurisdiction game,” state officials said. 

The commission rejected the option of dropping the game, which made its New York debut in February, because of its contribution to lottery revenues that support education funding.

Other rule changes include safeguards meant to prevent unusually small payouts. For example, if multiple winners are required to split a capped prize pool, no second-prize winner could receive less than the value of a lower-tier prize available in the same drawing. 

Additionally, lump-sum second-prize awards would be rounded down to the nearest whole dollar.