Cash 5, Fantasy 5, and their cousins are the quiet workhorses between the daily digit games and the mega-jackpots: pick five numbers, usually for $1, at jackpot odds hundreds of times better than Powerball's — for prizes that still reach six and seven figures. If you play for the realistic chance of a life-improving win rather than the billboard number, this family is mathematically the best value in the American lottery. Here's how the games work, what they pay, and how the state versions differ.
The family resemblance
Whatever your state calls it — Cash 5 (Pennsylvania, New Jersey's "Jersey Cash 5", South Carolina's "Palmetto Cash 5"), Fantasy 5 (Georgia, Florida, California, Michigan), Take 5 (New York), Hit 5 (Washington), or a lotto-branded variant — the format is the same: choose 5 numbers from a pool of roughly 30 to 45, no bonus ball in most versions, drawn daily in most states. Match all five for the jackpot; smaller prizes for matching 2–4.
The odds are the whole point
Jackpot odds depend on the pool size, and they're in a different universe from the national games:
- Pick 5-from-35 (many Cash 5 games): jackpot odds about 1 in 324,632.
- Pick 5-from-39: about 1 in 575,757.
- Pick 5-from-43 to 5-from-45: roughly 1 in 960,000 to 1.2 million.
Compare that to 1 in 292 million for Powerball: a Cash 5 player is 250 to 900 times more likely to hit their game's jackpot per ticket. The prizes are proportionally smaller — typically $50,000 to a few hundred thousand dollars, occasionally rolling over $1 million — but they're prizes that actually happen to ordinary players with some regularity. This trade is the core of our honest strategy guide: matching the game to the win you'd actually value.
Fixed vs rolling jackpots
The family splits into two payout styles:
- Rolling jackpot games (most Cash 5/Fantasy 5 versions): the top prize starts around $50,000–$125,000 and grows until someone wins. When it's been rolling for weeks, the effective value per ticket quietly improves — the one time "jackpot watching" is rational.
- Pari-mutuel games (California Fantasy 5 and others): winners split fixed percentages of that draw's sales, so prize amounts vary with ticket volume and number popularity — another reason unpopular numbers pay: fewer co-winners to split with.
Many versions add optional extras — instant-win features like EZ Match, doublers, or a second drawing — that work like the national games' add-ons: read the state's odds sheet before assuming the extra dollar is priced fairly.
State spotlights
- Jersey Cash 5 (NJ) — 5-from-45, rolling jackpots that regularly pass $1 million, with XTRA multiplier option.
- Pennsylvania Cash 5 — 5-from-43 with the Quick Cash instant-win add-on; jackpots commonly in the low-to-mid six figures.
- Palmetto Cash 5 (SC) — 5-from-42 plus a Power-Up multiplier that can turn the $100,000 top prize into up to $500,000.
- Georgia Fantasy 5 — 5-from-42, rolling jackpot, daily draws.
Every version's latest numbers, draw schedule, and hot/cold stats live on its game page — find your state's five-number game on the homepage.
Claiming and taxes
Most Cash 5-tier prizes fall in the sweet spot below claim-office drama: prizes under $600 pay at any retailer, mid-tier prizes at claim centers, and jackpots through the state claim process — all under the state tax rules in our full table and the federal thresholds explained in taxes on small winnings. Six-figure wins deserve the same discipline as jackpots: sign the ticket, then read our claim guide before showing anyone.
Bottom line
Five numbers, a dollar, daily draws, and jackpot odds of hundreds-of-thousands-to-one instead of hundreds-of-millions-to-one. Cash 5 and Fantasy 5 games trade the retire-your-bloodline dream for the best realistic-win math the lottery sells. If your state has one, it belongs in the rotation ahead of a fifth Powerball line — and its numbers are on our results pages every night.
Formats, odds, and prize structures vary by state and change occasionally — the game page and official state lottery rules are authoritative. Play responsibly — 1-800-GAMBLER.