Ohio Lottery player beats the odds to become first Millionaire for Life jackpot winner
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WCMH) — One lucky Ohio Lottery customer has won the riches of a lifetime after buying a $5 ticket for a new multi-state lottery game.
The lottery announced that a Millionaire for Life player beat the 1 in 22.9 million odds to claim the game’s first jackpot. A news release noted that the Buckeye State began selling tickets in February when Ohio and 30 other states rolled out the game.
According to the lottery, the winner purchased their Millionaire for Life ticket at a Giant Eagle on Edgecliff Avenue in Cleveland. The organization said the customer opted to forgo the auto-pick option and chose their own winning numbers, which were 4-15-19-21-31, with a Millionaire Ball of 4.
The game’s jackpot can be collected as an annuity that pays $1 million a year for life, with a minimum guaranteed payout over 20 years, or as a one-time cash payment of $18 million. The lottery did not specify how the winner chose to receive their prize after the April 27 drawing.
Millionaire for Life replaced the multi-state daily draw game Lucky for Life. Lucky for Life tickets cost $2 offered a grand prize of $1,000 a day for life, or $365,000 a year, along with a secondary prize of $25,000 a year for life.
The new game features nine prize tiers. The lowest prize levels begin with matching one white ball plus the Millionaire Ball, or matching two white balls. To play, customers select five numbers from 1 to 58 and one Millionaire Ball number from 1 to 5.
Millionaire for Life Prize Chart
|
Match |
Prize |
Odds |
|---|---|---|
|
Five white balls, plus the Millionaire ball |
$1,000,000 Per Year for Life |
1 in 22,910,580.00 |
|
Five white balls |
$100,000 Per Year for Life |
1 in 5,727,645.00 |
|
Four white balls, plus the Millionaire ball |
$7,500 |
1 in 86,455.02 |
|
Four white balls |
$500 |
1 in 21,613.75 |
|
Three white balls, plus the Millionaire ball |
$250 |
1 in 1,662.60 |
|
Three white balls |
$50 |
1 in 415.65 |
|
Two white balls, plus the Millionaire ball |
$25 |
1 in 97.80 |
|
Two white balls |
$8 |
1 in 24.45 |
|
One white ball, plus the Millionaire ball |
$8 |
1 in 15.65 |
The overall odds of winning any prize in Millionaire for Life are 1 in 8.46, according to the lottery. Millionaire for Life drawings are held daily at 11:15 p.m.
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