LotteryLottery Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terms that come up across this site — each one links to a deeper explanation where we have one.
AC Value
A measure of how spread out a drawing's numbers are, based on the number of unique differences between every pair of numbers in the combination. A higher AC value means more variety in the gaps between numbers.
Try the AC value calculator.
Annuity
One of the two ways to receive a jackpot: fixed payments spread out over many years (30 for Powerball and Mega Millions) instead of a single lump sum. The total paid out over the full annuity equals the full advertised jackpot amount.
Cash Option
The lump-sum alternative to an annuity — a single, immediate payment that's smaller than the full advertised jackpot (typically around 50-55%), since it's the actual cash currently sitting in the prize pool rather than a promise of future payments.
Jackpot Cap
A rule in some smaller lottery games that stops the jackpot from growing past a fixed ceiling. Once the cap is hit and still unwon, the extra money doesn't roll forward — some cap games instead roll it down into lower prize tiers.
See the lottery loophole that made a retired couple millions.
Megaplier
Mega Millions' optional add-on that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by a randomly drawn factor (2x-10x) for an extra $1 per play. Powerball's equivalent is called Power Play.
MUSL
The Multi-State Lottery Association — the nonprofit organization that operates shared, multi-jurisdiction games like Powerball, Mega Millions, and Millionaire for Life on behalf of its member state lotteries.
Overall Odds
The combined probability of winning any prize at all in a single drawing — not just the jackpot. This number is always far better than jackpot-specific odds, since it includes every smaller prize tier too.
Power Play
Powerball's optional add-on that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by a randomly drawn factor (2x-10x, or up to 5x when the jackpot is below $150 million) for an extra $1 per play. Mega Millions' equivalent is called Megaplier.
Quick Pick
Letting the terminal randomly generate your numbers instead of choosing them yourself. Mathematically identical odds either way — quick pick doesn't perform worse or better than self-picked numbers.
See quick pick vs. choosing numbers.Try the number generator.
Roll-down
The opposite of a rollover: instead of an unwon jackpot growing and carrying to the next drawing, a roll-down game pushes that money into the lower prize tiers instead once the jackpot hits its cap, temporarily inflating what those smaller prizes pay.
See the lottery loophole that made a retired couple millions.
Rollover
What happens to a jackpot when nobody wins it: the prize pool carries forward and grows into the next drawing instead of resetting, which is why headline jackpots can climb over many consecutive drawings.
Set for Life / For Life Prize
A prize structure that pays a fixed amount every year for the winner's lifetime, rather than a single lump sum or a fixed-term annuity — the model Millionaire for Life's top two prize tiers use.
Syndicate / Office Pool
A group of people who pool money together to buy tickets collectively and share any winnings according to a prior agreement, rather than each person buying separately. Not the same as multiple people independently winning the same drawing by coincidence.
See lottery office pools.