Idaho Raffle turns 20, and 500,000 tickets are about to go fast

The Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle turns 20 this year. For two decades, it has made millionaires across the state. Now the 2026 raffle is almost here, and sales start October 21st at 4:00 AM MT. Will you be ready?

How the Idaho Raffle works

If you’re new to the raffle, don’t worry. It’s simple to play. Tickets cost $10 each and are sold only in Idaho. The Idaho Lottery will sell only 500,000 tickets. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Two players will win $1,000,000 each. More than 21,500 other prizes are up for grabs, too. Sales run until the last ticket sells, and tickets move fast. Winning numbers will be announced on December 29th on local news stations KTVB, KTFT, KPVI, and KREM.

$1,000 instant wins for the first 20 days

To mark the 20th anniversary, the Idaho Lottery is giving away 20 prizes of $1,000. That’s one for each of the first 20 days of sales.

Each day, one ticket number is randomly selected from the tickets bought the day before. If your number matches, you win $1,000. You also keep your ticket for the final Raffle drawing. That’s two chances to win from one ticket.

Daily winning numbers are posted by 10:00 AM MT the next day. Look for them on the Idaho Lottery website, Facebook, and Instagram. The advice is simple. Buy early, and you get more chances to win.

Every 25,000th ticket wins $1,000

There’s a second instant win. Every 25,000th ticket sold wins $1,000.

The streak starts with ticket 025000 and repeats every 25,000 tickets after that. Tickets 050000, 075000, and 100000 win. So does every 25,000th ticket up to 500000. That makes 20 winners in all.

If you buy one of those tickets, you get a $1,000 voucher along with your Raffle ticket. Keep the voucher. You’ll need it to claim your prize from the Idaho Lottery.

Want to know how close the next winner is? Check the ticket counters at Idaho Lottery retailers. You can also follow the website and social media channels for updates.

What happened in 2025?

Last year’s results show the Raffle can pay off anywhere in Idaho.

The two $1,000,000 tickets were sold in different parts of the state. Ticket 125579 sold in Jefferson County. Ticket 326200 sold in Kootenai County. The $100,000 ticket was sold in Payette County, and the $50,000 ticket was sold in Bannock County.

The 2025 game returned more than $1,700,000 to Idaho public schools and the State’s Permanent Building Fund.

Before you play

Mark your calendar for October 21st at 4:00 AM MT. Sign your ticket and keep it safe. Players have 180 days after the draw to claim prizes. Prizes of $1,000 and higher must be claimed at Idaho Lottery Headquarters in Boise.