The Golden State is also the land of opportunity for gold, especially if you’re an avid California Super Lotto player. With jackpots running all the way up to hundreds of millions of dollars, this is one game that you definitely wouldn’t want to miss playing!

The Jackpot Proposition

California’s official state lottery game began on November 6, 1984. On that day, Californians had just approved Proposition 37 – now known as the California Lottery Act – which aimed to augment the state’s funds for education without inflating Californian taxes. That effectively created the state lottery. The first ever tickets for the game were purchased in October 1985.

Despite the state’s joining up with the inter-state Mega Millions game (the 12th one to do so), the California Super Lotto and its successor, the Super Lotto Plus, remain the most popular games in the selection. In its years of operation, the Super Lotto has yielded prizes that rival even those from larger inter-state games.

Aiming for the Millions

Playing the California Super Lotto and Super Lotto Plus games would be very familiar to you if you’ve played Mega Millions before, as the three games have many similarities. For every draw, five major winning numbers are drawn from a pool of 47 – the main set. Another number, known as the ‘Mega’ or ‘Power Play’ number in other games, is drawn from another set of 27.

The rules have changed considerably since the California Super Lotto began operating in the 80’s. It began, for example, with a simpler 6/49 format when it started out in 1986. In the 1990’s, the format was expanded for 53 numbers and a bonus number was introduced. The current rules were introduced in 2000, coinciding with the game’s rebranding as Super Lotto Plus.

Like almost every other lottery game in the country, the California lottery is parimutuel. That means that the jackpot and eventual payout depends on how many people played and how many bets won a prize. This system applies to all 12 prize tiers for the game.

Cash Questions

While the California Super Lotto definitely doesn’t give record-breaking prizes, its jackpots are towards the middle of the magnitude scale. The game’s highest jackpot paid out, a $193 million prize claimed in 2002, are about half of the largest jackpots offered by much larger games like Mega Millions.

Although California no longer imposes its own state tax on lottery prizes, expect to see huge deductions on your payout when you play the California lottery. Like many other lotteries in the United States, you’ll have to choose between a 26-year graduated annuity payout for the maximum prize, or a lump sum award for up to 60% of the advertised amount. Don’t worry about choosing, though; you’ll have up to 60 days after your win to make up your mind.

If you’re looking for a game that has you pitching odds with just the rest of the state, the California Super Lotto (now Super Lotto Plus) is an exciting game to play. With high prizes and competitive odds, you’d be hard-pressed to ask for anything more.