Take 5 is the only New York game that draws twice in the same day — once at 2:30 PM, once at 10:30 PM. New players often assume there's some strategic difference between the two: maybe one draws from a smaller pool of tickets sold, maybe one is "less watched," maybe the odds shift somehow between morning and night. None of that is true, and the reason why is worth actually seeing rather than just being told.

Take 5 draws twice in the same 24 hours 12 AM 6 AM 12 PM 6 PM 12 AM Midday 2:30 PM ET Evening 10:30 PM ET Two separate, independent drawings — same rules, same odds, no connection between them.

What's Identical Between the Two Drawings

Every rule that determines your odds is exactly the same for both:

  • Same number pool. Both drawings pick 5 numbers from 1–39.
  • Same ticket price and prize structure. A $1 ticket, the same prize tiers, the same pari-mutuel payout rules for anything below the jackpot.
  • Same odds of winning. The odds of matching all 5 numbers are identical — roughly 1 in 575,757 — whether you're playing the 2:30 PM drawing or the 10:30 PM one.
  • Same randomness, drawn independently. Neither drawing's result has any bearing on the other's. Morning numbers hitting doesn't make evening numbers more or less likely to repeat, the same way yesterday's drawing doesn't affect today's — see how lottery odds actually work for why that's true of every drawing, not just this pair.

The One Real Difference: History

The evening drawing is the original one — it's been running since January 1992. The midday drawing is much newer: it started in July 2021, giving New York players a second chance to play the same game each day rather than waiting until night. That's a real, meaningful difference — but it's a difference in when the game started existing, not in how it behaves once it's running. A coin flipped for the first time yesterday has exactly the same 50/50 odds as one that's been flipped for 30 years.

So Which Should You Play?

Whichever fits your schedule. There's no version of this where picking one over the other changes your expected outcome — the numbers don't know or care which session they're in. Some players play both every day, doubling their number of chances (and their spending) without changing the odds of either individual ticket. Others just pick whichever time is more convenient to check results. Both are equally reasonable, because the underlying math doesn't prefer either one.

If you want to compare both sessions side by side, our Take 5 results page shows midday and evening drawings together, and the ticket checker and number trend chart both work across the combined history of both sessions.

This guide is for general educational purposes and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a licensed professional before making decisions about real winnings or ticket purchases.