Get the answers to the most frequently asked questions about playing Pick 3 in Missouri, including how the Wild Ball works, how to claim prizes, and much more.
There are two daily draws in Pick 3 - a Midday drawing at 12:45 p.m. and an evening drawing at 8:59 p.m. Ticket sales are suspended just before each draw takes place, before resuming again at 12:59 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
To play Pick 3, you are required to choose numbers from 0 to 9, then select your play amount and play type. Decide whether to add the Wild Ball option and also EZ Match. Go to the How to Play page for a full step-by-step guide.
There are several types of play to choose from – Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Combo, Front Pair or Back Pair.
A Straight is a prediction on the winning numbers to be drawn in that exact order. With a Box wager, your numbers can be selected in any order. Box plays are also labelled as either 3-Way or 6-Way depending on the combination of numbers you pick.
In a 3-Way play, two of your three numbers are the same, for example 112. A 6-Way play has three different numbers, for example 123. There are twice as many possible ways for those numbers to be ordered, so the odds of winning are twice as good.
The Wild Ball is an extra number between 0 and 9 that is drawn after the three main winning numbers. If you add the Wild Ball option to your ticket, you can replace any of the three winning digits with the Wild Ball to give you more chances to land a prize. Take a look at the Wild Ball page to find out more.
EZ Match is another optional feature that you can add for an extra $1 per play. It gives you the chance to win instant prizes of up to $500, if any of the EZ Match numbers on your ticket match the Pick 3 digits you selected. Go to the EZ Match page for more information.
For most play types, you can choose to pay $0.50 or $1. A Straight/Box, however, is a fixed $1, with half the money going on an Exact Order play and half on an Any Order wager.
You must be at least 18 years of age to play Missouri Lottery games.
On very rare occasions, certain number combinations can ‘sell out’. This is because there is a liability limit of $1.5 million – essentially, this is the most that can be paid out in a single draw. If ticket sales are so high for a particular number that the Missouri Lottery would not be able to pay out every winner, you won’t be able to purchase that combination anymore.
You can claim prizes of up to $600 from lottery retailers in Missouri, or you can mail in winning tickets of any value. The address for mail-in claims is Ticket Redemption, Missouri Lottery, P.O. Box 7777, Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777.
You must claim any Pick 3 prizes you win within 180 days of the relevant draw date.
Any prize money that is not claimed within 180 days is used to support public education in Missouri.