The New York State Lottery runs three jackpots, about a dozen scratch-off games and five daily drawings though 15,000 retailers and approximately 14,000 online outlets.

The establishment of the New York State Lottery was made by the new state constitution which was passed in 1966. Just about one third of the lottery's revenue, which results in $2 billion a year, goes directly to the support of New York City Education. The New York State Lottery also awards scholarships to the Leaders of Tomorrow to one eligible graduating senior who is chosen from each private and public school in the state. The only stipulation to accepting this award is that they must attend New York universities.

There are several games that can be played in the lottery. Here are a couple of the favorites and how to play them:

Take Five ? Visit any New York State Lottery retailer and ask for a playcard. Choose 5 numbers that go from 1 to 39 and fill in the squares you have chosen as instructed on the playcard. You may also select the Quick Pick option which saves you a lot of time and let the computer randomly select the numbers for you. Each playcard contains 5 game panels so that means that you can get to play up to 5 times on each of your playcards. The minimum cost is $1 for 1 game. Of course, you can play up to $5 if you choose the 5-game playcard. Choose the number of drawing that you want to participate in. Seven drawings in advance can be played ? all on one ticket. Return your playcard to the retailer and you will get a separate ticket for each processed playcard. Always check your tickets to make sure that the dates and numbers that are printed are correct. That's all there is to it. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait to see if you are the lucky winner! The live TV drawings take place at 11:21 P.M. You can play every day from %:30 A.M.

Quick Draw ? The next exciting game to play in the New York State Lottery is Quick Draw. There are a variety of ways you can play this game. You are the one to select the amount to play, the odds as well as how much you can win! On Quick Draw you decide how many numbers you wish to play. Then, select up to 10 numbers ranging from 1 through 80. You can wither choose the Quick Pick Option or make sure that you choose the same amount of numbers that you had chosen in the first section. Check off the amount you wish to wager per game and then decide on how many games you wish to play; then after everything is completed hand your playcard back to the Quick Draw retailer. Every four minutes the New York State Lottery's computer randomly picks 20 numbers from the field of 1 through 80. They will then appear on the Quick Draw monitor. You are a winner based on how many of the numbers you match. You will find the Quick Draw game wherever you are having fun whether it is at a restaurant, bowling center, bar or another game center. Terminals stay open from 5:30 A.M. to midnight to accept your wagers. There are nearly 3,000 licensed locations at which you can play Quick Draw.

New York state lotto - the classic. Pick up a playcard with 10 game panels. Each panel shows squares numbered 1 through 59. Pick 6 numbers from 1 through 59.Using a black pencil or a black or blue ballpoint pen (red ink will not be accepted), fill in your choice of any 6 of the 59 numbered squares in a game panel. Or save time by choosing Quick Pick and letting the computer randomly select numbers for you. The minimum play is $1 for two (2) game panels. Or you can play up to $5 on the 10-playcard.

It's all in the luck of the draw. Do you feel lucky? Then try the New York State Lotto today!