Ohio's Draw Game Lineup
The Ohio Lottery offers eight draw games spanning daily digit games, in-state jackpot games, and multi-state blockbusters. Ohio stands out for its twice-daily digit games (Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5), a daily rolling jackpot game (Rolling Cash 5), and the Classic Lotto with its unique Kicker add-on. Ohio taxes lottery winnings at approximately 4% — a flat state income tax rate — making it a moderately tax-friendly state for winners.
Pick 3
Ohio Pick 3 is a 3-digit game drawn twice daily — midday at 12:29 PM ET and evening at 7:29 PM ET. Pick 3 digits from 0-9 (digits can repeat) 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 — payout varies by combination type
- Straight/Box: A combination of both play types on a single ticket
- Front Pair / Back Pair: Match the first or last 2 digits in exact order
With 730+ draws per year, Pick 3 generates the most data of any Ohio game, making it ideal for frequency and pattern analysis.
Pick 4
Pick 4 mirrors Pick 3 but with 4 digits. It's also drawn twice daily at 12:29 PM and 7:29 PM ET. Straight bets pay $5,000 on a $1 wager with odds of 1 in 10,000. Box and straight/box play types are available for players who want better odds at lower payouts.
Pick 5
Ohio Pick 5 is a 5-digit game drawn twice daily at the same times as Pick 3 and Pick 4. Pick 5 digits from 0-9 (with replacement). Straight bets pay $50,000 with odds of 1 in 100,000. This game is similar to Florida's Pick 5 and provides a large dataset for digit-level analysis with its twice-daily draws.
Rolling Cash 5
Rolling Cash 5 is Ohio's own ball-draw game — pick 5 numbers from 1-39, drawn daily at approximately 7:05 PM ET. The rolling jackpot starts at $100,000 and grows until won. Odds of matching all 5: 1 in 575,757. This is the same odds as California's Fantasy 5 and New York's Take 5 (all use a 5/39 format), making cross-state comparisons straightforward.
- Match 5: Jackpot (rolling, starts at $100K)
- Match 4: $500
- Match 3: $10
- Match 2: $1
Classic Lotto
Classic Lotto is Ohio's flagship in-state jackpot game. Pick 6 numbers from 1-49, drawn Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at approximately 7:05 PM ET. Jackpots start at $1 million and grow until won. The odds of matching all 6 are 1 in 13,983,816 — significantly better than Powerball or Mega Millions.
- Match 6: Jackpot
- Match 5: $1,500
- Match 4: $50
- Match 3: $1
Classic Lotto also offers the Kicker add-on for an extra $1. Kicker generates a random 6-digit number with a top prize of $100,000 for matching all 6 digits in order. Even partial Kicker matches pay prizes.
Lucky for Life
Lucky for Life is a multi-state game available in Ohio. Pick 5 numbers from 1-48 plus 1 Lucky Ball from 1-18. Drawings are daily. The top prize is $1,000 per day for life (minimum 20 years guaranteed), and the second prize is $25,000 per year for life. Jackpot odds: 1 in 30,821,472.
Powerball & Mega Millions
Ohio participates in both national multi-state games. Powerball drawings are Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday; Mega Millions are Tuesday and Friday. Ohio's approximately 4% flat state tax on winnings is lower than many states, though higher than tax-free states like Texas and Florida.
Which Ohio Lottery Game Should You Play?
For frequent action with the highest win rates, Pick 3 delivers twice-daily draws. For daily ball-draw excitement at reasonable odds, Rolling Cash 5 is the sweet spot. For in-state jackpots with better odds than multi-state games, Classic Lotto (with the Kicker add-on for extra value) is hard to beat. And for the biggest prizes available, Powerball and Mega Millions are always an option. Use our Frequency Analysis and Hot & Cold tools to explore patterns across all Ohio games.