Watch Football. Win Cash. It's every sports fan's dream.

On a play slip or using a self-service MP terminal at your Montana Sports Action retail location, select five eligible players and defensive unit from the official Roster of professional football players and teams to create your ideal team. Choose from these six positions: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Kicker and Defensive Unit. The first five positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, and K) are four digit numbers, the first two numbers representing the player's city code and the second two numbers representing the player's jersey number. The sixth selection (DEF) is a two digit number, which represents the team's city code.

Next choose a play amount ($5, $10, $20, $50, or $100) which determines the number of shares you are eligible to win should your team have one of the three highest point totals at the end of the week. $5 equals one share. After completion of each week's professional football games, points will be assigned to players and defensive units based on their performance to determine your team's total points for the week. Both positive and negative points apply. If your team has one of the three top point totals for the week, you win!

In addition to using a play slip to choose your team, you may also use Quick Pick to have the terminal choose your team.

Sale of Sports Action Tickets

Play slip and Quick Pick sales will be allowed each week of the official football season beginning Tuesday morning for that week's games. No advanced purchasing will be allowed. Tickets may only be purchased during the current week of play. Play slip wagers and Quick Pick plays will be available until 10 minutes prior to the last scheduled game of the week, typically the Monday night game.

As early games are played (games played before Sunday), the football teams playing in those games are no longer available for wagering for that week. For example, on Thursday, Tennessee is playing Pittsburgh, so 10 minutes prior to that game, the players on these two teams will not be available for selection, but all the other eligible players can still be wagered on until they play, or 10 minutes before the first Sunday game.

Post-season play will be available (excluding the championship game). The Roster for each week of post-season play will be distributed through the Lottery terminal and available on montanalottery.com on Tuesday of each week.

How to Win!

Points Calculations

The performance of players and defensive units will determine how many points each are assigned. Players may receive negative points based on their performance. The point structure includes fractions of points to minimize ties.

Prize Pool Distribution

How much you win is determined by your team's points and your share ($5 per share). For example, if your ticket is worth $20 (four shares) and has the highest point total for the week and no other tickets have the same point total, you win the entire top prize pool. If, again, your ticket is $20 (4 shares) and one other ticket has the same point total, but that player only bought one share (a $5 ticket), you would win four-fifths of the pool and the other player would win one fifth.

• Let's say that sales were $10,000 this week. By law, 74% of the sales are to be paid in prizes.
• Total sales = $10,000
• Prize Pool (74%) = $7,400
• Top Prize (50% of $7,400) = $3,700
• Your ticket (four shares) is worth $2,960 (fourth-fifths of $3,700) and the other player's ticket (one share) is worth $740 (one fifth of $3,700).

To continue this example of sales of $10,000, tickets with the second highest point total win 30% of $7,400, or $2,220. Tickets with the third highest point total win 20% of $7,400, or $1,480.

Collecting your prize

Only Montana Sports Action retailers will be able to sell and pay Sports Action tickets. Traditional Lottery retailers cannot sell or pay Montana Sports Action tickets. Payment of prizes on Montana Sports Action tickets for the prior week will be allowed after verification of winners on Tuesday a.m. Tickets up to $599.99 can be paid at any Montana Sports Action retailer. Tickets winning $600 or more must be paid by the Montana Lottery. Tickets may be presented at Lottery Headquarters, 2525 North Montana Avenue, Helena. In addition, you may mail your winning ticket to Montana Lottery, P. O. Box 6073, Helena, MT 59604-6073. Please sign your ticket and complete a Montana Lottery claim form. The Lottery recommends using certified mail to send your ticket to the Lottery.

Prize Claim Form

Once a ticket is printed, it cannot be canceled so be sure your play slip has the correct information for the team you choose.

The player Roster will be updated each week on Tuesdays. The update will remove any injured players and will reflect any traded players. The updates will be available on the Roster report on the Lottery terminal, and the complete Roster will be posted on montanalottery.com. A printed Roster will be mailed periodically to all Montana Sports Action retail locations.

Quick Picks will contain any players that are on that week's Roster, but there may be some players who are not playing. No points will be awarded to those players.