California's Game Lineup
The California State Lottery offers six draw games, each with different play styles, odds, and prize structures. Whether you prefer daily digit games with better odds or big jackpot games with life-changing prizes, there's a game for every type of player.
Daily 3
Daily 3 is drawn twice daily (midday and evening) and is one of the most popular games due to its simplicity and relatively good odds. Pick 3 digits from 0-9, and choose your play type:
- Straight: Match all 3 digits in exact order — pays $500 on a $1 bet (1 in 1,000 odds)
- Box: Match all 3 digits in any order — pays vary based on the combination
- Straight/Box: A combination of both play types
- 1-Off: Each digit can be one number away from the drawn digit
Daily 4
Daily 4 works like Daily 3 but with 4 digits. It's also drawn twice daily. Straight bets pay $5,000 on a $1 bet with odds of 1 in 10,000. Box bets pay less but have better odds since order doesn't matter.
Fantasy 5
Fantasy 5 is California's own 5-ball game, drawn daily. Pick 5 numbers from 1-39. The top prize starts at $75,000 and can grow if no one wins. Odds of matching all 5: 1 in 575,757. Fantasy 5 is popular because the odds are dramatically better than Powerball or Mega Millions.
SuperLotto Plus
California's flagship jackpot game. Pick 5 numbers from 1-47 plus 1 Mega number from 1-27. Drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday. Jackpots start at $7 million. Odds of winning the jackpot: 1 in 41,416,353 — much better than Powerball or Mega Millions.
Powerball & Mega Millions
California also participates in both multi-state games. Note that California is a "pari-mutuel" state — prize amounts can vary from the published tiers because they're based on ticket sales and the number of winners, not fixed amounts.
Which California Lottery Game Should You Play?
It depends on what you're looking for. For the best odds and daily excitement, try Daily 3 or Fantasy 5. For medium-sized jackpots with reasonable odds, SuperLotto Plus is hard to beat. For the dream of a massive windfall, Powerball and Mega Millions deliver the biggest prizes. Many players enjoy a mix of games for variety. Explore California drawing data with our Frequency Analysis and Hot & Cold tools.