Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Nebraska Pick 3, covering topics such as how the different types of bet work and how to claim prizes.
Pick 3 is a three-digit lottery that is played every day in Nebraska. The game sees three numbers from 0 to 9 selected at random, and you have to match them to win prizes.
Draws are held nightly at 10:00 p.m.
You can purchase tickets until 9:00 p.m. There is then a brief break in sales until 9:03 p.m., when they reopen for the next day’s drawing.
Choose three numbers from 0 to 9 and select a bet type. You can find further instructions on the How to Play page.
There are various ways to play. You can select a Straight and try to match the winning numbers in exact order, or play a Box and try to get them in any order. If you play a Straight/Box, it splits your bet between both types of wager. The final option is a Combo, where you can win a prize for matching just one or two numbers in the correct places.
Each bet has a fixed cost of $1.
Yes, you can play the same numbers in multiple consecutive draws, up to a maximum of 72.
You can win up to $600 in Pick 3. This top prize is won if you play a Straight and match all the numbers in exact order. The other bet types all have their own associated prize amounts.
Your chances of winning depend on which bet type you pick. The odds of matching three numbers exactly are 1 in 1,000. Go to the Odds and Prizes page for more information, including a chart showing all the payout values.
On rare occasions, you may find that you are not allowed to pick the numbers you want. This is because there is a top prize liability of $150,000 for any single drawing. This essentially means that the Nebraska Lottery cannot afford to pay too many winners because there is no guarantee the funds would be available. If 250 identical Straight combinations are sold, the system stops taking any more bets for that particular number. This is most likely to be an issue for popular numbers such as triples, for example 111 or 777.
Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. where the minimum age for buying lottery tickets is 19.
To claim a prize of up to $500, you can visit any Nebraska Lottery retailer. Alternatively, you can claim prizes of any value by mailing in your winning ticket to Nebraska Lottery Prize Claim, P.O. Box 95145, Lincoln, NE 68509-5145.
You must come forward within 180 days to claim a Nebraska Pick 3 prize.