The California SuperLotto Plus first began in 1986, when it was known as the California Super Lotto. The “plus” part of the name was added in 2000. The lottery has evolved over a number of years and took its current format in 2000. Although not as popular among USA lotteries as other multistate lotteries, the California SuperLotto Plus has been likened to the Mega Millions lotto, which California also offers to its lottery players.
How does the California SuperLotto Plus work?
A total of 47 balls are used in the California SuperLotto Plus game. Players must choose 5 numbers from that pot, whilst at the same time selected 1 of 27 Mega Numbers.
Earlier versions of the lottery contained a 6/49 format until 1990 when it changed to a 53-number game, a 51-number game, and finally the current 5/47 format which was adopted in 2000. Tickets typically cost $1 an entry.
Cash prizes and jackpots
The prizes in the California SuperLotto Plus are graduated. This means that the total is staggered over 30 payments. The jackpot is worth at least $7 million a draw, and cash options are available for winners if they wish. It is not uncommon for the jackpot prize to be worth tens of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, all prizes over $599 are subject to taxes.
Players have roughly a 1 in 23 chance of bagging a prize with the California Super Lotto Plus. The odds of winning the jackpot is roughly 1 in 42 million. Players will typically bag around $1 for landing just the Mega Number, or a single ball and the Mega Number. This rises upwards to around about the $10 mark for 2 balls and a Mega Number, or 3 balls. With the Mega Number, a 3-ball ticket can see you win $50.
Prizes worth $100 are available for numbers, and with the Mega Number they rise to over $1,000. Prizes worth $10,000 or more are up for grabs if you land 5 numbers, and if you win with all 5 numbers and the Mega Number, you’ll walk away with the jackpot cash prize.
Some of the biggest wins in this lottery game have occurred in the last two decades. Whilst a player won $56 million in 1995, this was trumped by a massive $193 million win in 2002, even though the win was split between 3 individual winners. The highest solo ticket win stands at $72 million, which was paid out in 2007.
Variants and similar lotteries
The California SuperLotto Plus game was originally a spin-off from the California State Lottery. Other variants you can play in the California State Lottery include Daily 3, and 4 pick games. Daily Derby mock horse racing games, and Fantasy 5 tickets.
The California SuperLotto Plus game has often been compared to the multistate Mega Millions lottery. This is funny because players in California can also join that lottery if they wish. One thing that the California SuperLotto Plus has in its favour, though, is that it offers considerably better odds of success than the Mega Millions lottery.
Playing the California SuperLotto Plus online
Players will notice that the official California SuperLotto Plus website doesn’t sell tickets to the lottery game online. This is due to US gambling laws being very restricted for online gambling. However, online lottery ticket websites such as The Lotter can allow you to snap up tickets to this lottery game. They typically have their own prices and regulations, so players should read all of the terms and conditions of that lottery ticket purchasing website before they decide to sign up and buy tickets to the California SuperLotto Plus.