Arizona Lottery’s The Pick Exposed — Win EXTRA! But Solely Offline
The Pick Arizona Review
Online lotteries are cool, but hey, the world is big! There are many games available in the offline realm that you can add to the range of opportunities. It’s a particularly good idea to start with lotteries that cost a little and can help you earn a lot.
The Pick by Arizona Lottery is one such opportunity. Ticket prices start at a single dollar, and if you’re lucky enough to live in Arizona, The Pick is one of the games to try. The premise is simple, the odds are good, and The Pick features a couple of bonuses that make the lottery a nice variation from the standard format.
Is TheLotter legit in Arizona? Check out our review for more information
The Pick: A Brief Overview
The Pick was born in 1984, and today, it’s still one of the most popular games in the portfolio of the Arizona Lottery. A few other opportunities developed and made available by the same entity include Pick 3, Fantasy 5, 2by2, and Weekly Winnings. Arizona Lottery is also the local operator for Powerball and Mega Millions.
Ever since the beginning, The Pick has featured a minimum guaranteed jackpot of 1 million dollars that grows with every next drawing that doesn’t have a winner. This is one of the main reasons why this lottery has grown in popularity and why it’s still going strong more than three decades later.
How to Play the Pick?
Playing The Pick is simple. All you have to do is choose 6 numbers from a pool of 44. If you get all 6 numbers correct for the respective drawing, you’ll end up being at least one million dollars richer.
If you don’t have favorite numbers that you’d like to play with, you can opt for a random ticket that’s been computer-generated. The price of a single entry, regardless of the option that you choose, is 1 dollar.
As already mentioned in the introduction, The Pick has a couple of nice extras that make the standard lottery formula a bit more intriguing. EXTRA! is one of those opportunities. This is an add-on game that you can activate by checking the respective box on your The Pick ticket. EXTRA! Costs an additional 1 or 2 dollars to play, depending on the option that you’ve chosen. If any of the EXTRA! numbers are a match for the respective drawing; you can win additional prizes.
There’s one final option that players can try, and it’s called Trio! Trio! refers to buying tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions, and The Pick at the same time. The Trio! comes at a more affordable price and gives you a chance to test both the local favorite and two of the biggest lotteries in the US.
Prizes, Awards, and Odds
The Pick has a minimum guaranteed jackpot of 1 million dollars. The highest it has ever gotten to is 13.5 million dollars, and it fell in the summer of 2007. As far as state and local lotteries go, this jackpot is a pretty impressive one. The odds of hitting the correct numerical combination are 1 in 7.05 million.
Getting 5 out of 6 numbers will make you 2,000 dollars richer. The odds are 1 in 30,961. The third prize tier of getting four correct numbers will produce a prize of 50 dollars. People that have 3 correct numbers can expect to win 3 dollars.
| Match | Odds | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Match 6 | 1 in 7,059,052 | Jackpot |
| Match 5 | 1 in 30,961 | $2,000 |
| Match 4 | 1 in 669 | $50 |
| Match 3 | 1 in 42 | $3 |
The overall odds of winning any prize in The Pick are 1 in 39. These odds aren’t too good, especially in comparison to what some big international lotteries have to offer. There’s a silver lining, however. When EXTRA! Is activated for an additional dollar or 2, the odds of winning a prize become much more spectacular – 1 in 3.8.
Some Information for Winners
The Pick drawings take place 2 times per week – on Wednesday and Saturday. Players that have won any amount need to claim within 180 days of the drawing. Arizona Lottery retailers will payout immediately prizes in the range of 3 to 100 dollars. A winner claim form on the Arizona Lottery website has to be filled out for sums larger than 600 dollars. Jackpot winners will have to contact the state authority in person.
Prizes are paid out either in the form of a cash lump sum or annuity payments. Within 60 days of the drawing date, winners will have to decide which option they prefer. If no statement is made, the prize will automatically be paid in the form of annuities that will be distributed over 30 years.
The Pick prizes are subjected to taxation. There are a 25 percent federal tax and a 5 percent state tax that the prize will be subjected to before it’s handed over to the winner.
Can You Buy Tickets Online?
Unfortunately, Arizona State Lottery doesn’t sell tickets for its games online. You have to live in the state and visit one of the authorized vendors to get you’re Pick ticket.
Arizona’s The Pick is a lot of fun, and there are several reasons why you should give it a try:
Why You Should Play The Pick
Pros:
Low ticket prices
EXTRA! is an added bonus that costs only 1 or 2 dollars to activate
There’s a Trio! bundle that features The Pick, Mega Millions, and Powerball tickets
There’s a minimum guaranteed jackpot of 1 million dollars
The jackpot rolls over
Odds of winning the jackpot are relatively favorable
Prizes are good in comparison to what other state lotteries have to offer
The overall odds of winning any prize are good
Some of the money generated through ticket sales will go to supporting good causes throughout Arizona
Why You Shouldn’t Play The Pick
Cons:
The Pick tickets can’t be bought online
The lottery isn’t open to international players
The minimum guaranteed jackpot is relatively low
Lower prize tiers aren’t that impressive
Is The Pick Legit?
The Pick is a legitimate offline lottery that offers legitimate prizes. It’s operated by a state entity that’s a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). MUSL is a non-profit entity that’s government-owned and operated. You couldn’t ask for a better guarantee of legitimacy than that.
It will also make you feel good to know that some of the money you spend on ticket purchases will go to supporting good causes. In 2014, Arizona Lottery donated 175 million dollars to education, health care, environmental, and business development causes in Arizona. Ever since the inception of the program, the Arizona Lottery has generated more than three billion dollars to support causes that can make a difference.
So, to sum it up – not only is The Pick legitimate, but it’s also a great way to give back to the local community. Adding the fact that you can win juicy jackpots while doing well is a nice added perk.
So, what we have to say is this – people in Arizona, you should try The Pick and share your experiences with us. In theory, it sounds like a fun game. We hope that the same is true for the real-life The Pick.
Chris
I played and the 3rd time I played I won $500.000.00
Fred Kim
Hey, this is a nice local lottery that could be some good fun with nice odds. It does grow, though, won’t be a US Powerball. But a legal state lottery that definitely will pay out. Well, for those who live in Arizona. You can only get tickets there. They are not available on line so great for the lottery but average overall.