Game Formats

A numbers game (or digits game) uses between 2 and 5 machines. Each machine contains exactly ten balls numbered from 0-9 and only one ball is drawn from each machine. Brand names for numbers games include Cash3, Daily4, or Pick5. Typically, every numbers game in a state has the same word (“Cash” or “Daily”) and individual games are distinguished by a number which also indicates the number of machines used in the game.
Numbers games generally only offer fixed payouts and prizes tend to be relatively small. However, numbers games offer more play options than other types of lotteries. Numbers games usually pay every player with a winning ticket the same prize and don’t require winners to split winnings. To avoid getting more winners than the lottery commission can afford to pay, numbers games will often limit the number of tickets that can be purchased with the same numbers. For instance, if an unusually large number of people were playing 1-2-3, the lottery commission would stop selling that set of numbers. 

A lotto uses a single machine filled with anywhere between 20 and 80 numbered balls. Depending on the format of the lotto, a set of balls (typically 5 or 6) is drawn from this single machine. Unlike numbers games, lottos typically offer only one play option. That is, players, pick a set of numbers that they predict will be drawn. Since all the balls are drawn from the same machine, their order is not part of the winning conditions. Lottos usually generate interest by offering a single jackpot that is big enough to be life-changing. In order to win this jackpot, players must match all the drawn balls. To maintain interest, lottos often offer lower-tier prizes for matching some but not all of the drawn balls.

A bonus lotto is similar to a lotto but uses two machines for the drawing. Just as in a lotto, the first machine has a field of 20 to 80 numbered balls and multiple balls are drawn from this machine. The second machine in a bonus lotto holds the second field of balls from which a single ball is drawn. This ball typically has a brand name such as the PowerBall or the MegaBall. For states with larger populations or lottery commissions operating in multiple states, bonus lottos are a way to tune the odds of the game to the number of players. Since bonus lottos can be designed to service large populations, they can offer bigger jackpots

Traditional lottery formats have been tested and operated over long stretches of time. Many lottery commissions have validated that traditional lotteries generate both the revenue desired and the excitement necessary to sustain the game. With proven track records, traditional lotteries are low-risk choices for individual lottery commissions. Exotic lotteries tend to be more experimental in nature. They are used by fewer lottery commissions and maybe less popular than traditional games. At the same time, exotic lotteries offer the possibility for advantage players to find a previously identified opportunity. Since the format of exotic games has been tested on a smaller number of players, there is the chance that either a number-picking or ticket-buying strategy can yield an advantage.