Lottery raffle season is heating up with $1 million prizes on the way

If you are looking for a different way to chase a seven-figure prize, then you have plenty of options as raffle season gets underway across the United States. The Kansas Lottery announced today it will be bringing back its Holiday Millionaire Raffle. Tickets are now on sale, and a $1 million grand prize is waiting for one lucky player to kick off 2027 the right way. The game also rewards those players who get their tickets early with additional drawings before the grand prize is selected.

Kansas isn’t alone in bringing out its limited-ticket raffles. Several state lotteries use the format, particularly around the holidays and the New Year. This gives players an alternative to traditional jackpot games like Mega Millions and Powerball.

Kansas Holiday Millionaire Raffle is back

Players in Kansas can now buy tickets for the Holiday Millionaire Raffle. However, if you wait for the holidays to buy yours, then you could be missing out on additional chances to win.

Three Early Bird drawings will be taking place on October 4, November 8, and December 6. If you buy your ticket before those drawings, then you can potentially win a prize before the main event.

The biggest date on the calendar to remember is January 4, 2027. That’s when the Kansas Lottery will announce the winning raffle number for the $1 million grand prize.

Tickets are limited, so sales could end before the final drawing if all available numbers are purchased.

Wisconsin has its own kind of raffle

The Wisconsin Lottery just wrapped up sales for its 2026 Wisconsin 50/50 Raffle. This shows how differently states can approach the raffle concept.

For this raffle, tickets were available for purchase from August 1 through August 31. The drawing was scheduled for September 1, 2026. Instead of advertising a fixed $1 million grand prize, the Wisconsin Lottery is giving the winner 50% of the total raffle sales.

Players can buy one ticket for $1, six for $5, or 15 for $10. Each entry received a seven-digit number, with the winning number selected in the drawing getting 50% of whatever they sold.

More raffles are on the way

As we get closer to the end of 2026, we are going to see more state lotteries announcing their raffle details.

In Pennsylvania, lottery officials have already posted details for its next Millionaire Raffle. Tickets will go on sale on November 3. They remain available through January 2,m 2027, unless they sell out sooner.

That raffle will hand out over $5 million in prizes during its final drawing. If you buy your ticket before December 28, then you will be eligible for one of eight weekly drawings, which feature two $50,000 prizes.

In Maryland, they recently announced details would be coming soon for their Millionaire Raffle, so it will be back in 2026.

Minnesota is another state to watch. Its annual Minnesota Millionaire Raffle is known to sell out quickly. For the raffle drawn on January 1, 2026, one million tickets went on sale on October 21, 2025. All tickets were gone by November 3, a record 14-day sellout. For that raffle, two tickets ultimately won $1 million apiece.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.