Lottery Game Types: Little Lotto

Lottery games are held in most parts of the world, with millions of dollars handed out to lucky winners in frequent occasions. Several types of lottery games exist, with new ones being introduced regularly. However, several basic types remain mostly unchanged -- one of which is Little Lotto.

Little Lotto, as the name suggests, is a derivative of Lotto. It's basically the smaller cousin of the current lottery game giant, lotto. The play mechanics and game objectives of Little Lotto are almost the same as those of lotto. The main differences between the two are the odds of winning and the frequency of draw dates.

The odds of winning in a game of Little Lotto are better compared to those of lotto. Also, Little Lotto games take place more often. The reason why the odds are better in a game of Little Lotto is due to the lower number of balls in play, and also a scaled down playing field.

As an example, a typical Little Lotto game might be a 5/36 or 5/39. What this means is that five balls are drawn from a field of 36 or 39 balls. This is significantly lower that those of Lotto, whose typical games might be 6/53 or 6/47.

As mentioned earlier, the play mechanics in Little Lotto is very much the same to that of lotto. The process is quite simple. First, you pick five numbers from the total limit (36,39 etc.) designated in your state. You then mark your chosen numbers in a play slip which is widely available in a number of establishments. You can buy play slips in convenience stores, supermarket chains, gas stations and the like.

The next step is to hand your marked play slip to a lottery retailer or agent. That agent will then hand you a game ticket which will act as your official receipt in case you win. Instead of six numbers which is the norm in lotto games, five balls will be drawn from the lottery machine.

The object of the game is to match your chosen numbers with the numbers drawn. Jackpots are awarded to players whose five chosen numbers are an exact match to the five numbers drawn. Your chosen numbers don't have to be in a similar order as the numbers drawn.

Also, like lotto games, you don't need to match all five numbers to win. Prizes -- albeit in smaller amounts -- are also awarded to those who have four or three matching numbers.