Take 5
Take 5 is a simple and enjoyable lottery game that gives you the chance to play for tens of thousands of dollars every day. It offers great odds of winning and you can win free entries for future draws by matching just two numbers.
Draws take place twice daily at 2:30pm and 10:30pm Eastern Time and you must enter before ticket sales close at 2:15pm and 10:20pm EST. Please go to the results page to view the latest winning numbers as soon as each draw has taken place.
How to play Take 5
To play Take 5 you simply pick five numbers between 1 and 39, with the aim of matching the numbers drawn in the lottery. You win a prize for matching two or more numbers, while the jackpot is awarded to anyone who matches all five. It costs $1 per line to play.
You can play the same numbers for up to seven draws in advance, and if you have an old entry from the past 30 days you can ask your retailer to play it again for an identical ticket for the next drawing.
-
Find your nearest licensed lottery retailer to pick up a playslip
-
Choose five numbers between 1 and 39 or opt for a Quick Pick for a random selection
-
Pay the retailer for your ticket and remember to keep it safe
-
Check the latest results to see if you have a winning ticket
Prizes and Odds of Winning
Take 5 prizes are paid out on a pari-mutuel basis, so the individual prize amounts can vary between draws. The prize pool is made up of 50% of the ticket revenue from each draw, with a certain percentage of this allocated to each prize tier. If there are no winners in a particular tier, the money is added to the prize pool for the following draw.
The only exception to this is the lowest prize, which is won by matching two numbers. If you manage to do this, you win a free Quick Pick ticket for a subsequent Take 5 draw.
The table below shows what percentage of the prize pool goes into each tier, the estimated amount that each winner will receive, and the odds of winning each prize. Although it offers the lowest cash prize per winner, the Match 3 tier receives the biggest proportion of the prize pool as there are likely to be many more winning tickets at this level. The Match 4 and Match 5 tiers offer much bigger cash amounts but there are fewer winners, so they don’t require as much of the prize pool.
| Prize Tier | Odds of Winning | Percentage of Prize Pool Allocated | Estimated Prize Per Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 5 | 1 in 575,757 | 20% | $57,575 |
| Match 4 | 1 in 3,386 | 30% | $508 |
| Match 3 | 1 in 102 | 50% | $25 |
| Match 2 | 1 in 9 | - | Free Quick Pick |
| Overall odds of winning are 1 in 8.77 | |||
How to Claim Prizes
The claim process depends on how much you win. To redeem your Quick Pick free play, visit any licensed lottery retailer in New York. Prizes up to and including $600 can also be claimed from retailers or from one of the New York Lottery Customer Service Centers. For prizes over $600, you need to visit a Customer Service Center or mail your ticket, along with a completed claim form, to the New York Lottery at PO Box 7533, Schenectady, NY 12301-7533.
In all cases, you should sign the back of your ticket before beginning the claim process. You have one year from the date of the draw to claim your prize. Any money left unclaimed after this period will be returned to the prize pool or will be used to subsidize special events or draws in the future.
You do not have be a resident of New York to play Take 5, but you will not be able to claim prizes outside of the state. All prizes over $5,000 are subject to federal and state taxes, whether you live in New York or not. Residents of Yonkers and New York City will also have to pay a local tax on their winnings.