One of the fantastic things about lottery games is that they are incredibly easy to play, making them accessible to just about everyone. You don’t need to worry about elaborate strategies or complex rules—if you want, you can even let the system randomly pick your numbers for you. With just a minimal financial outlay, you have the potential to win a huge amount of money, with jackpots that frequently approach or exceed a billion dollars. Mega Millions is one of the most prominent lottery games, available across the United States and beyond, known for its low cost and the variety of ways in which players can win.
Mega Millions Facts
| #️⃣ Game Type: | 5 out of 70 & 1 out of 25(mega ball) |
| 💵 Ticket Cost: | $2 per ticket + $1 Megaplier(optional) |
| 🗓️ Drawing Schedule: | Tue, Fri at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (GMT-5:00) |
| 🤖 Draw Method: | Mechanical Lottery Ball Machine |
| 🇺🇸 Participating States: | Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
History Of Mega Millions
Mega Millions got its start in 1996, when it was known as The Big Game. The name was changed in 2002, and at that point nine states were involved. This game differed from the games lottery followers were familiar with, because unlike state lotteries, this was actually a multi-state lottery game, which of course is what has facilitated the huge jackpot winnings.
More states joined gradually. In 2010, there was an explosion as 23 states joined.
Throughout its existence, Mega Millions has produced big jackpots. Thus far, the largest jackpot offered in the game has been slightly over $1.6 billion, awarded in 2023.
Tickets for each Mega Million entry are $2. And there are two drawings every week. The odds of winning a prize of any kind with Mega Millions is 1 in 24.
Each jackpot starts at $20 million, and increases each time in the event there are no jackpot winners.
How to play Mega Millions and where it can be done
When you are in possession of a Mega Millions ticket, whether it is physical or virtual (having spent your $2, of course), you are going to pick five “regular” numbers from a pool that goes from 1 to 70. You are also going to choose a “MegaBall” number, from a separate pool of numbers from 1 to 25.
As we’ve mentioned, you don’t even have to choose your own numbers. If you want to make the whole operation more of a turnkey, you can opt for a “Quick Pick,” which will choose the numbers for you. This operates at random, so no one is really in control of which numbers the system spits out.
It is customary for the lottery player to buy tickets at a retail outlet within the jurisdiction of the state lottery participating in Mega Millions. However, tickets can also be purchased online, and we will go over that in detail.
Drawings are held every week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 PM ET at WSB-TV in Atlanta.
You play by watching. What you’re hoping to do is match all five of your regular numbers as well as the MegaBall. Of course, you may fall short of that. Mega Millions recognizes this, which is why they have developed several ways you can qualify for a prize.
If you were wondering about where Mega Millions can be played, it’s probably more practical to list the places it isn’t offered.
Mega Millions is offered through the state lotteries everywhere (this is inclusive of the U.S. Virgin Islands and District of Columbia) and is not allowed in:
- Utah
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Mississippi
- Alaska
- Puerto Rico
How you can win at Mega Millions
Obviously your ultimate objective is to achieve an exact match of all your regular numbers PLUS the MegaBall number you’ve selected. But to say that not everyone is going to get there is about as vast an understatement as one can possibly make. Indeed, the odds against winning the Mega Millions jackpot is greater than 300 million-to-1.
But there are eight other ways to win at Mega Millions. Here is a table that will show you:
| Outcome | Prize |
|---|---|
| Five numbers + MegaBall | Jackpot (amount varies) |
| Five numbers only | $1 million |
| Four numbers + MegaBall | $10,000 |
| Four numbers only | $500 |
| Three numbers + MegaBall | $200 |
| Three numbers only | $10 |
| Two numbers + MegaBall | $10 |
| One number + MegaBall | $4 |
| MegaBall only | $2 |
As you can see, if you hit the MegaBall only, you will make back the price of the ticket you bought for that single play. And if you hit two regular numbers only, there is no prize.
One thing that must be noted is that aside from the jackpot itself, all the prize figures are fixed, which means that if you hit four regular numbers and the MegaBall, for instance, your prize is going to be $10,000, regardless of what is in the total prize pool.
Increase your winnings with the Megaplier
Your wins in Mega Millions can actually get bigger than what is indicated in the table above. There is a feature to this game called the “Megaplier” that can add a new twist to things.
This is a number that is drawn from a pool of fifteen balls that, if you have selected it, will increase your prize 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x what it normally would have been. Note that this does not multiply jackpot wins – if you’re lucky enough to have one.
The Megaplier is drawn before the Mega Millions draw on Tuesday and Friday.
In order to be eligible to spike your winnings through the Megaplier, you have to add $1 extra to the price of your ticket. For those familiar with casino games, it’s kind of like making an ante so that you can qualify for a progressive jackpot.
Can Mega Millions be played online?
As we’ve mentioned, Mega Millions can be played in person by purchasing entries at a participating retailer in a participating state. It had been the case that lottery tickets could not be purchased over the internet.
But there are ways it can be done. Some sites have set themselves up as “butler” or “concierge” services that facilitate entries.
One example is TheLotter.us, where you establish an account, pick your numbers and add a Megaplier if you wish. They will buy the Mega Millions ticket(s) on your behalf from whatever state you’re in. For this, you will pay them a service fee. This amounts to 30% of the value of the ticket. For instance, on a $2 ticket, you would pay them 60 cents. The site demands no commissions on winning tickets.
In addition to the District of Columbia, there are ten states where you can register with the lottery office and buy tickets online. Those states are:
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
There is also Lotto.com, where you can play in the following states:
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Texas
For the convenience of their customers, they accept a number of payment methods, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, PayPal and Venmo.
There are also various apps, including Jackpocket, through which Mega Millions can be played. You can do this in 17 different states.
How does a winner claim their prize?
When you become aware that you have won a prize, and you purchased your Mega Millions ticket at a retail outlet, such as a 7-Eleven, you would simply go to that retail outlet and collect the prize.
If you have gone the online route, it’s different.
If you are with a service like TheLotter, for example, they will notify you if you’re a winner, since you’ve registered with them and they have a record of your ticket (as you do). On prizes that amount to $600 or less, they will collect it on your behalf from the applicable state lottery (since they bought the ticket) and they’ll put it into your account with them.
In those instances where you have won more than $600, which makes it a federally reportable and taxable transaction, they will gather the necessary information and present it to you so you can collect it in person from the state lottery office. They will also provide you with any help you need to go about the process.
As far as how much time you have to claim your prize, that will vary, according to the lottery rules in the various states. There are places where you may have up to a year.
What is the difference between a “cash” and “annuity” payout?
To be brutally honest, you are not likely to become a Mega Millions jackpot winner. But those who DO win a jackpot have the choice between payout options.
There is the annuity option, which involves receiving an initial payment immediately and then 29 subsequent annual payments (with each one increasing 5% over the previous payment).
Or, for those who want a lot right away, there is the cash option. Winners who choose to do things this way will receive all the cash that is in the jackpot prize pool at that time.
In some states, the ticket buyer has to indicate whether the cash or annuity option is preferred before the drawing; in some states that is not necessary.