The Ultimate Guide to the Arizona Lottery‘s The Pick Drawing
The Arizona Lottery‘s The Pick drawing is an exciting twice-weekly event that gives people across the state a chance to win huge cash prizes. But when do the drawings take place and how exactly does The Pick game work? This comprehensive guide will provide you with everything you need to know about The Pick drawing schedule, game play, prize payouts, ticket sales, and more. Read on to become an expert on this popular Arizona Lottery game!
When Do The Pick Drawings Happen?
The Arizona Lottery holds The Pick drawings every Wednesday and Saturday evening at 7:59 PM Arizona time. The drawings take place in Phoenix at the Arizona Lottery‘s studio located inside their headquarters building at 4740 E University Dr.
During the drawings, lottery officials use a mechanical ball machine to randomly select six main numbers from 1 to 44, plus an additional bonus number. The whole selection process is broadcast live on television across Arizona.
You can tune in to watch the drawing yourself on the Arizona Lottery‘s own Cable Network, appearing on Cox channels 11 and 23 as well as other providers. The lottery also archives drawing videos on their website shortly after they take place.
How Does The Pick Game Work?
Playing The Pick is easy – all you need to do is choose six numbers between 1 and 44 on an official Pick playslip. You can select your own numbers or simply ask for a Quick Pick and get computer-generated numbers.
During the Wednesday and Saturday night drawings, six winning numbers are selected along with a seventh bonus number. If you match all six numbers in any order, you win The Pick‘s jackpot prize!
There are also several other ways to win smaller prizes:
- Match 5 main numbers + bonus number – $5,000
- Match 5 main numbers – $500
- Match 4 main numbers – $50
- Match 3 main numbers OR just the bonus number – Free Quick Pick ticket
Let‘s take a look at the odds of winning for each prize:
| Prize Level | Odds of Winning |
|---|---|
| All 6 main numbers (jackpot) | 1 in 7,059,052 |
| 5 main + bonus number | 1 in 701,398 |
| 5 main numbers | 1 in 12,244 |
| 4 main numbers | 1 in 679 |
As you can see, hitting the jackpot is tough, but not impossible! The other prize levels have much better odds.
Matching more numbers means bigger prizes. But even if you only match a couple numbers, you could still win a free Quick Pick for another chance to play.
When Can You Buy Tickets?
Pick tickets can be purchased at over 3,000 authorized retailers across Arizona. This includes most grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores and anywhere else you see the official Arizona Lottery logo.
You can also conveniently purchase tickets online at Arizonalottery.com. To buy online, you‘ll need to create an account.
On the day of the drawings, Pick ticket sales cutoff is at 7:44 PM. So you‘ll want to get your tickets before then for a chance to win that night‘s prizes.
Tickets cost $1 per play. You can boost your odds by buying multiple tickets with different number combinations.
All Pick tickets purchased are valid for the next 6 months. So you don‘t have to worry about missing a drawing if you buy ahead of time.
Jackpot and Prizes Details
One exciting thing about The Pick is that the jackpot starts at a guaranteed $50,000 and continues growing bigger if no one wins. The jackpot keeps rolling over until someone finally hits the lucky 6/44 number combination.
In 2000, The Pick‘s jackpot reached a record high of $5.9 million before it was finally won! Even today, the prize pool frequently climbs into the millions before winners come forward.
It‘s important to note that non-jackpot Pick prizes expire if not claimed within 180 days of the drawing. However, jackpot prizes can be claimed up to 1 year from the draw date.
Also, Pick winners have the choice to remain anonymous in Arizona. Lottery winnings are not taxed by the state, so you keep every penny of your prize!
Overall, The Pick gives players the chance to win from thousands in smaller prizes up to multimillion dollar jackpots. Matching all six numbers could change your life in an instant!
Where Lottery Proceeds Go
You might be wondering – what happens to all the money spent on Pick tickets? Well, about 28 cents of every dollar goes to support important state causes.
The Arizona Lottery proudly gives back proceeds to these key areas:
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Environmental Conservation – Protecting habitats, trails, parks, and open spaces.
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Health and Human Services – Funding priorities like homeless shelters, food banks, and addiction treatment.
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Tourism – Promoting Arizona‘s attractions, parks, resorts to visitors.
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Education – Supporting schools, universities, and education programs.
So by playing The Pick, you‘re not only having fun trying to win, but also helping generate billions in funding for vital programs across the state. It‘s a win-win!
Notable Winners and Winning Stories
Over the years, The Pick has created many big winners who have won life-changing jackpots. Here are some notable stories:
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In April 2018, a Tucson man won a $6.3 million Pick jackpot after playing the same 6 numbers for years. His loyalty finally paid off!
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In 2016, a $2.9 million jackpot was hit by a group of 23 coworkers who pooled their money together to buy tickets. They each took home $125,000.
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A Phoenix couple won a $2.4 million Pick prize just a month after the husband was laid off from work. Perfect timing!
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A woman won a $1.1 million jackpot on her birthday in 2021, calling it "the best present ever."
As you can see, The Pick has made many Arizonans millionaires, and even smaller prizes can be life changing. You never know when it will be your lucky day!
So in summary, The Pick offers excitement, huge jackpots, and lots of Arizona fun. Twice a week, someone could become The Pick‘s next big winner. Why not let it be you!