Cash4Life: Official Guide, Rules, Odds & How to Play

What is Cash4Life lottery?

Cash4Life is a popular multi-state lottery game that offers unique lifetime income prizes. Launched in 2014, it has become known for its daily drawings and attractive lifetime prize structure.

Cash4Life drawings are held every day at 9:00 pm ET. Tickets cost $2.00 per play.

Did You Know?

Cash4Life was the first multi-state lottery to offer both daily drawings and lifetime income prizes, creating a unique niche in the lottery market!

Participating States

Cash4Life is offered in 10 states: Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.

How to play Cash4Life lottery?

Players select five numbers from 1 to 60 and one Cash Ball number from 1 to 4. You win the top prize by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.

The game features two lifetime prize tiers, offering financial security through regular payments.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Choose 5 main numbers from 1 to 60
Choose 1 Cash Ball from 1 to 4
Add Doubler option (in NJ) to double non-lifetime prizes for $1 extra
Wait for the daily draw at 21:00 ET
Check your numbers and claim your lifetime prize!

Odds to win Cash4Life prizes

Cash4Life offers excellent lifetime prizes with better odds than most major lotteries!

Winning Selections	Odds	Prize
Match 5 numbers + Cash Ball	1 in 21,846,048	$1,000 a day for life or $7 million lump sum
Match 5 main numbers	1 in 7,282,016	$1,000 a week for life or $1 million lump sum
Match 4 numbers + Cash Ball	1 in 79,440	$2,500
Match 4 main numbers	1 in 26,480	$500
Match 3 numbers + Cash Ball	1 in 1,471	$100
Match 3 main numbers	1 in 490	$25
Match 2 numbers + Cash Ball	1 in 83	$10
Match 2 main numbers	1 in 28	$4
Match 1 number + Cash Ball	1 in 13	$2

Overall odds of winning any prize: Approximately 1 in 8

Daily Lifetime Prizes

Cash4Life is unique in offering TWO lifetime prize tiers! Win $1,000 per day for life as the top prize, or $1,000 per week for life as the second prize. Both offer the security of guaranteed income for 20 years minimum.

Cash4Life Prize Options

Both lifetime prizes guarantee payments for a minimum of 20 years. Winners can choose between lifetime annuity payments or lump sum cash options.

Top Prize ($1,000/Day for Life)

Annuity Option: $1,000 per day for life

Cash Option: $7,000,000 lump sum

Minimum Guarantee: 20 years of payments

Second Prize ($1,000/Week for Life)

Annuity Option: $1,000 per week for life

Cash Option: $1,000,000 lump sum

Minimum Guarantee: 20 years of payments

Cash4Life Odds Calculations

Let's examine how the odds for Cash4Life are calculated and why they're more favorable than other major lottery games.

In every Cash4Life drawing, 5 white balls are drawn together with a single Cash Ball.

Main Balls Odds

There are 60 numbers to pick from for the main balls. None can repeat. The number of ways to choose 5 balls from 60 is:

(\binom{60}{5}) = \frac{60 \times 59 \times 58 \times 57 \times 56}{5 \times 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1} = 5, 461, 512

That means there are 5.5 million ways to pick 5 numbers from 60 without repeating.

Cash Ball Odds

There are only 4 numbers for the Cash Ball. You pick 1, so there are 4 possible choices.

The small Cash Ball pool is what gives Cash4Life its relatively better odds!

Overall Odds to Win Cash4Life

Multiply the main and Cash Ball combinations:

Total odds = 5,461,512 × 4 = 21,846,048

So your odds are 1 in 21,846,048!

With odds significantly better than Powerball (1 in 292M) or Mega Millions (1 in 302M), Cash4Life offers a great balance of substantial lifetime prizes and reasonable winning chances.

Learn how to improve your odds of winning Cash4Life with strategic play.

Winning vs Losing Combinations

After each Cash4Life draw, the distribution of combinations is:

2,783,954

Winning Combinations

12.74%

19,062,094

Losing Combinations

87.26%

Winning Probability Calculations

In Cash4Life, you pick 5 numbers from 1 to 60 and 1 Cash Ball from 1 to 4. The number of combinations that win any prize after each draw is calculated as follows:

Total Number of Combinations

The total number of ways to choose 5 main numbers from 60 and 1 Cash Ball from 4 is given by:

(\binom{60}{5}) \times (\binom{4}{1}) = 5, 461, 512 \times 4 = 21, 846, 048

Winning Combinations Breakdown

Let's calculate all the winning combinations for each prize tier:

Prize Tier	Winning Combinations	Calculation
Match Cash Ball only	1,221,759	$(\binom{59}{5}) \times (\binom{1}{1}) = 1, 221, 759$
Match 1 main + Cash Ball	1,371,480	$(\binom{5}{1}) \times (\binom{55}{4}) \times (\binom{1}{1}) = 1, 371, 480$
Match 2 main only	148,995	$(\binom{5}{2}) \times (\binom{55}{3}) \times (\binom{3}{1}) = 148, 995$
Match 2 main + Cash Ball	49,665	$(\binom{5}{2}) \times (\binom{55}{3}) \times (\binom{1}{1}) = 49, 665$
Match 3 main only	12,870	$(\binom{5}{3}) \times (\binom{55}{2}) \times (\binom{3}{1}) = 12, 870$
Match 3 main + Cash Ball	4,290	$(\binom{5}{3}) \times (\binom{55}{2}) \times (\binom{1}{1}) = 4, 290$
Match 4 main only	495	$(\binom{5}{4}) \times (\binom{55}{1}) \times (\binom{3}{1}) = 495$
Match 4 main + Cash Ball	165	$(\binom{5}{4}) \times (\binom{55}{1}) \times (\binom{1}{1}) = 165$
Match 5 main only	3	$(\binom{5}{5}) \times (\binom{3}{1}) = 3$
Match 5 main + Cash Ball	1	$(\binom{5}{5}) \times (\binom{1}{1}) = 1$
Total Winning Combinations	2,809,723

Non-Winning Combinations

Total combinations - Winning combinations = 21,846,048 - 2,809,723 = 19,036,325

Conclusion

Therefore, there are 2,809,723 combinations (12.86%) that win any prize in each Cash4Life drawing, while 19,036,325 combinations (87.14%) win nothing.

Probability Insight

Your chance of winning ANY prize in Cash4Life is approximately 1 in 7.8, which is significantly better than most major lotteries and much better than the jackpot odds of 1 in 21.8 million!

Lifetime Prize Structure

Cash4Life offers unique lifetime prizes instead of traditional lump-sum jackpots:

Top Prize

$1,000 a day for life (or $7 million lump sum) - Match 5 main + Cash Ball

Second Prize

$1,000 a week for life (or $1 million lump sum) - Match 5 main only

Note: The lifetime prizes are guaranteed for a minimum of 20 years. Both top prizes offer cash lump sum alternatives, making Cash4Life one of the most player-friendly lottery games available.

Notable Changes & History

May 2017 - Doubler Option

New Jersey introduced the Doubler option on May 15, 2017:

Doubler Feature: Players can double non-lifetime prizes
Additional Cost: $1 per play
Availability: Exclusive to New Jersey players
Impact: Enhanced prize value for smaller wins

2015-2016 - State Expansion

Cash4Life expanded to additional states:

Growing Popularity: Added several new participating states
Increased Jackpots: Larger player base led to bigger prizes
National Presence: Established as major multi-state game

June 2014 - Game Launch

Cash4Life officially launched with unique features:

Initial States: New York and New Jersey
First Drawing: June 16, 2014
Innovative Concept: First to combine daily draws with lifetime prizes
Ticket Sales: Began June 13, 2014

2013-2014 - Game Development

Cash4Life was developed to fill a unique market niche:

Market Research: Identified demand for lifetime prize games
Matrix Design: Created 5/60 + 1/4 format for optimal odds
Prize Structure: Designed dual lifetime prize tiers
Multi-State Framework: Built for expansion beyond initial states

Source: Wikipedia