Second Chance Drawings: How They Work and Who Wins

Second chance drawings are free bonus drawings that state lotteries run using tickets that already lost. You scan a non-winning ticket, it becomes an entry, and the lottery draws again later for a separate prize pool. The prizes are real and recent: the Mississippi Lottery awarded $1,000,000 to a Clinton player in a 2nd Chance drawing on July 7, 2026, tied to a $20 My Lottery Dream Home scratch-off.

The amounts vary enormously by state and promotion. California’s SuperLotto Plus 2nd Chance Bonus Draw, which ran June 22 through July 19, 2026, paid five winners $20,000 each for a $100,000 total, according to the California Lottery’s promotion page. Colorado Lottery reported that Steven M. of Centennial won $1 million in a Bonus Second Chance Drawing after entering a Monopoly 200X scratch ticket on May 26, 2026.

Here is the part most people get wrong: nobody publishes a fixed odds number for these. Official rules for programs like the Hoosier Lottery’s 7s Scratch-offs 2nd Chance state plainly that odds depend on how many entries are received and how many you submit. That single sentence explains almost everything about how second chance drawings behave.

What Second Chance Drawings Actually Are

A second chance drawing is a promotion attached to a specific game or group of games. The lottery sets a draw period, defines which tickets qualify, and lists the exact prizes in published official rules. Your losing ticket is not automatically entered. You have to submit it, usually by scanning the barcode in the state lottery’s mobile app or typing the entry code on the lottery’s website.

The prize pool is separate money from the scratch game’s own prize structure. That is why a $2 ticket with a $10,000 top prize can still feed a promotion paying six figures. The Ohio Lottery’s Cash Explosion is the extreme version: players scan qualifying instant tickets, and the lottery selects eight new contestants every week to appear on a televised game show.

The Numbers Behind Recent Second Chance Drawings

Published promotion pages are the only reliable source for amounts, because they change every few weeks. These are current figures from official lottery sources and reporting on 2026 drawings.

How the Entry and Draw Process Works

The mechanics are consistent across states even when the prizes are not. First, you register an account with the state lottery, which typically requires your name, address, date of birth, and email. California’s 2nd Chance rules require entrants to be 18 or older and to meet eligibility requirements at the time of the drawing.

Second, you submit the ticket before the promotion’s posted deadline. Late entries are void, and each promotion has its own cutoff. Third, the lottery runs the draw. The Ohio Lottery states that Cash Explosion contestants are chosen by a random number generator, and that the Ohio Auditor of State verifies each individual winner.

That verification step matters. These are government-run drawings subject to state audit, published official rules, and record retention requirements. Winners are typically announced by name and hometown on the lottery’s website, which is why you can look up a specific person and date for almost any large prize.

Why the Odds Are Different, and Why No One Publishes a Number

Scratch tickets carry printed odds because the game has a fixed print run. Second chance drawings cannot work that way. The entry pool is not known until the deadline passes, so official rules describe odds as variable rather than stating a figure.

Two things follow. Your chance rises with the number of qualifying entries you submit, since most programs count each entry separately. And the pool is smaller than the number of losing tickets in circulation, because most people throw those tickets away instead of scanning them.

Michigan’s 2026 Millionaire Maker promotion shows the funnel clearly. According to Michigan Lottery Connect, ten players were selected as finalists from everyone who scanned non-winning Millionaire Maker tickets in the app. Those ten split into two live events, and Michelle R. of Otsego won $1 million at the April 10 event at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Who Actually Wins Second Chance Drawings

Winners are ordinary players, and the published lists make that easy to confirm. The Michigan finalists came from Midland, Ishpeming, Flint, Grosse Ile Township, Shelby Township, East Lansing, Norton Shores, Otsego, Davisburg, and Westland. Colorado’s July 27, 2026 winner was from Pueblo West.

There is no skill component and no pattern to exploit. Second chance drawings select randomly from submitted entries, which means a first-time entrant and a ten-year regular have identical odds per entry. The only structural advantage anyone has is submitting more qualifying entries during the draw period.

A detail casual readers usually enjoy: Ohio’s Cash Explosion first aired on February 7, 1987, went off the air on September 30, 2006, and returned on October 6, 2007. It is the longest-running state lottery game show and, by Ohio Lottery accounts, has paid out more than $250 million.

Taxes, Age Rules, and the Fine Print

Prize money is treated as income. The IRS Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754, revised January 2026, say a Form W-2G is required for lottery and sweepstakes winnings of $600 or more when the payout is at least 300 times the wager. Withholding of 24% applies to sweepstakes and lottery winnings over $5,000.

The same instructions note that backup withholding of 24% applies at any amount if a winner does not provide a correct taxpayer identification number. Reporting requirements generally apply regardless of how the prize was won, and how any of this affects your specific return depends on your situation. The IRS at irs.gov is the authority for your own case.

If you receive needs-based assistance such as SSI, SNAP, Medicaid, or a housing subsidy, reporting requirements generally apply to prize income too, and outcomes depend on the program and your circumstances. Contact the administering agency directly rather than relying on general guidance.

Spotting a Fake Win Notice

Real second chance drawings never ask you for money. The Federal Trade Commission states that legitimate prize promotions do not require payment of insurance, taxes, or shipping and handling to release a prize, and that scammers frequently impersonate government agencies, including the FTC itself.

Federal rules also require prize mailings to state that no purchase is necessary and that buying does not improve your chances. Official rules should disclose drawing timing, how winners are notified, and a description of each prize with its approximate retail value. If a message about second chance drawings skips all of that and asks for a wire transfer or gift card, the promotion is not the problem, the message is.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do second chance drawings cost anything to enter?

No. Entry uses a ticket you already bought, and the drawing itself is free. State lottery promotion pages describe entry as submitting a qualifying non-winning ticket code through the lottery’s app or website before the posted deadline.

Can I enter the same ticket more than once?

No. Each qualifying ticket code can be submitted one time, and lottery systems reject duplicates. Submitting more separate qualifying tickets is the only way to increase your number of entries in a draw period.

What are the published odds of winning?

There are none in the fixed sense. Official rules, including the Hoosier Lottery’s 2nd Chance rules and Ohio Lottery’s Cash Explosion terms, state odds vary by drawing based on total entries received and the number of entries you submitted.

How will I know if I won?

The lottery contacts you using the account information you registered, and winners are typically posted publicly. Ohio announces Cash Explosion contestants by name and hometown on its website; Michigan and Colorado publish winner announcements the same way.

Know the Rules Where You Live

Sweepstakes and prize rules change from state to state — what a sponsor can offer, how prizes are handled, and what protections you have. Pick your state to see the exact rules that apply where you live.

See Sweepstakes Laws in All 50 States →

Sources & How to Verify

The facts on this page are drawn from official government and primary sources. Rules and figures change, so always confirm the current details with the official agency or the promotion’s own published rules.

• FTC Consumer Advice: consumer.ftc.gov — prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scam guidance
• IRS: irs.gov — how prizes and winnings are treated as income
• Social Security Administration: ssa.gov — what SSI recipients must report
• The promotion’s official rules: every legitimate sweepstakes publishes them — the rules page is always the final word

Content last reviewed August 2026. If you notice outdated information, please contact us.

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• Sweepstakes Laws by State (50-State Guide)
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• Sweepstakes Resources
• Scam Checks
• Sweepstakes Tax Calculator
• All Active Sweepstakes

Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Win Big Daily is an independent educational resource. Prize rules, tax treatment, and benefit-program requirements vary by state and program and change over time, so always verify the current details with the official agency, the promotion’s published rules, or a qualified professional before acting. If a topic involves government benefits, contact the program office about your specific situation.