The Mississippi Lottery is the youngest in the United States, forming in 2018. The first tickets were sold in 2019 and the lottery proceeds go to help state infrastructure and education. The first $80 million of proceeds in a fiscal year go to the State Highway Fund and the next $80+ million go to the Education Enhancement Fund.
That will change in 2028, but the Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law passed through the state legislature by making sure that multiple parts of the state were able to benefit.
The Mississippi Lottery is only available to players 21 or older and tickets are only sold with approved retailers in the state. There is no online component for playing.
Mississippi Lottery Games
The Mississippi Lottery may be on the newer side, but the state moved quickly to be part of the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions drawings. Mississippi is also one of the states to offer Lotto America, along with four other state-specific draw games.
Mississippi also offers scratch-offs, but does not have any Fast Play or online games.
Mississippi Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Powerball drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 9:59 p.m. CT, with ticket sales cut off about an hour before the drawing. Balls are drawn from 1 to 69, plus the Bonus Ball from 1 to 26. Matching all six wins the Jackpot, which starts at $20 million and grows from there.
Each play costs $2 in Mississippi, with the Power Play multiplier add-on available for an additional $1. There is also a Double Play option, which is a second drawing and another chance to win. That also costs $1.
Mississippi joined Powerball on January 30, 2020.
Mega Millions
Mississippi also joined Mega Millions on January 30, 2020. Mega Millions is another multi-state lottery Jackpot game, but this one is drawn on Tuesday and Friday at 10 p.m. CT. Each play costs $2 and there is a Megaplier add-on for $1 that multiplies all non-Jackpot prizes.
The numbers with this game range from 1 to 70 and the Mega Ball is from 1 to 25. The Jackpot starts at $20 million and grows if there is no Jackpot winner.
Lotto America
There is one other multi-state draw game in Mississippi and it is Lotto America. Numbers are drawn on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 9:15 p.m. CT, with ticket sales cut off about 15 minutes before the drawing.
The numbers drawn are from 1 to 52, plus there is a Star Ball from 1 to 10. Each play is $1 and there is an optional add-on for the All Star Bonus, which would cost another dollar.
The states that participate in Lotto America are Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Mississippi Cash 5
The Mississippi Cash 5 is the state-specific lotto drawing for the MS Lottery. This game is drawn every night at 9:30 p.m. CT. There are five numbers from 1 to 35 and no bonus numbers or balls, but there is a multiplier add-on for an additional dollar. Each draw costs $2 per play.
Players that match two of the five numbers receive a free ticket. If the multiplier option is selected, players that match two numbers would get that many tickets based on the multiplier, which ranges from 1x to 5x.
Mississippi Cash 4
Cash 4 is the Pick 4 variant for the MS Lottery. Four numbers ranging from 0 to 9 are drawn, plus a Fireball fifth number. Base plays in this game cost 50 cents to $1 and there are a variety of ways to win, with “Exact Order” or “Any Order” as the two main ways, but “Exact or Any” and “Combo” are additional options.
The Fireball option doubles the base price of the ticket with a top potential prize of $5,400.
This game is drawn twice daily at 2:30 p.m. CT and 9:30 p.m. CT for Midday and Evening drawings. The top prize is $5000 for hitting the Exact Order on a $1 ticket.
Mississippi Cash 3
All of the same things apply to Mississippi Cash 3, which is the Pick 3 variant for the MS Lottery. The Cash 3 also has the Fireball option. The top prize with Fireball is $540 and $500 without it for matching all three numbers.
Once again, this game is drawn at 2:30 p.m. CT and 9:30 p.m. CT with three numbers ranging from 0 to 9 plus the Fireball, which also ranges from 0 to 9.
Cash Pop
Like so many states, the Mississippi Lottery has also added Cash Pop to its offerings. Cash Pop is drawn twice a day at 2:30 p.m. CT and 9:30 p.m. CT.
There are 15 available numbers and players can play 1 to all 15 numbers for $1, $2, $5, or $10 per pop. All prize amounts are at least 5x, and the lottery terminal randomly selects a prize for the corresponding number.
Players can select a multi-draw option when buying their ticket to be eligible for both draws that day or draws for up to seven consecutive days.
Mississippi Lottery Scratch-Offs
Mississippi Lottery scratch-offs range from $1 to $20 and there are upwards of 75 or more games active at any given time. The MS Lottery website and some retailers show the remaining top prizes available based on the games and tickets that are in circulation.
Mississippi also offers 2nd Chance promotions by becoming a Lottery Insider on the MS Lottery website. The MS Lottery does not have an app, so being part of the Insider program is the next best alternative.
How To Claim Mississippi Lottery Prizes
Players need to be aware of the policies and procedures in Mississippi. Instant game prizes must be claimed within 90 calendar days of the announced end of the game.
For draw games, players have 180 calendar days after the draw date.
Prizes under $600 can be claimed at any Mississippi Lottery Corporation retailer. Prizes of $600 to $99,999 must be claimed by mail or at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters.
Prizes of $100,000 or more can only be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters in Flowood, MS.
Mississippi has a 3% state tax withholding on lottery prizes of $600 or more.
Mississippi Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Can Mississippi Lottery Tickets Be Purchased Online?
No. Mississippi does not sell lottery tickets online and is not part of third-party sellers like Jackpot.com or Jackpocket.
How Many Mississippi Lottery Retailers Are There?
There are more than 1,200 approved lottery retailers in the state of Mississippi.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play The Mississippi Lottery?
Players must be 21 years of age or older to enjoy the Mississippi Lottery.