Mega Millions Lottery General Information (2024)

Mega Millions general information - how to play, payouts, odds, jackpot info, links, Mega Millions states map.

Mega Millions is a multiple-state (NOT Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL)) lottery game played in 41 states plus theDistrict of Columbia with a jackpot starting at $12 million and growing until someone wins.

The Mega Millions game consists of two sets of numbers where the player selects 5 numbers 1 through 56 from the first set and onenumber (called the Mega Ball) 1 to 46 from the second set. Mega Millions costs $1 per game, but you may optionallyspend one more dollar to add a Megaplier that multiplies lower prizes by 2, 3, or 4 times depending on the Megaplier number drawn.

On this page...

  • How to play Mega Millions
  • How Do You Win Mega Millions? - Prizes and Odds
  • About Mega Millions Jackpot
  • Mega Millions States
  • Links to some Mega Millions Official Web Site Pages
  • Mega Millions at US-Lotteries.com

Mega Millions drawing schedule: Mega Millions drawings are held at approximately 11 p.m. EST every Tuesday and Fridaynight at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Mega Millions sales are cut off at least 59 minutes before the draw. Check for local cut-off time.

Mega Millions drawing method: The winning Mega Millions numbers are drawn using mechanical machines and ball sets.Five balls are drawn out of a drum with 56 numbered balls, and one Mega Ball is drawn out of a drum with 46 balls.

How to play Mega Millions

Mega Millions Lottery General Information (1)

Just like any multi-number game, Mega Millions is a very easy game to play. Two sample panels from a Mega Millions playslip are shown here;the actual playslip contains 5 panels.

Select 5 numbers from 1 through 56 on the upper section and 1 number from 1 through 46 on the lower section. Alternatively, you canmark the Quick Pick (QP) (Easy Pick (EP) in some states) to let the Lottery terminal randomly select your numbers for you. If you wantto play more numbers, then fill out panels B, C, etc. Each one costs $1.

If you make an error, DO NOT ERASE, instead mark the Void box for that play.

Megaplier :If you want to multiply your lower-tier Mega Millions winnings up to 4 times, then just choose the Megaplierfeature on your Mega Millions play slip (not shown on our figure).

At every draw of Mega Millions, in addition to the 5 + MB winning numbers, a Megaplier number will also be drawn from 2 to 4.A typical winning number is reported as,
04-19-26-28-39 MB 14 MP 4, or as 04-19-26-28-39**14 x 4
Since the order in which the numbersare drawn doesn't matter, the winning numbers are reported in their natural order from smallest to highest.

The Megaplier does not affect the the jackpot prize. The prizes for matching 5-of-5 and lower will be multiplied by the drawnMegaplier number. For our example winning number above, each lower prize will be multiplied by 4. See the table below.Note that not all Mega Millions states have the Megaplier option.

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How Do You Win Mega Millions? - Prizes and Odds

How much does Mega Millions pay for matching 5 or less numbers? The following is a summary winner prize payouts and the odds of winning.

Prize WithoutPrize With Megaplier
MatchMegaplierx 2x 3x 4Odds
5-of-5 + MB$12,000,000 +Not Applicable1 in 175,711,536
5-of-5$250,000$500,000$750,000$1,000,0001 in 3,904,701
4-of-5 + MB$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,0001 in 689,065
4-of-5$150$300$450$6001 in 15,313
3-of-5 + MB$150$300$450$6001 in 13,781
3-of-5$7$14$21$281 in 306
2-of-5 + MB$10$20$30$401 in 844
1-of-5 + MB$3$6$9$121 in 141
Only MB$2$4$6$81 in 75

Note that you do not win anything by matching 1 or 2 numbers without matching the MegaBall

Note also that unlike Powerball, the multiplier (Megaplier number) multiplies all lower prizes including the 5-of-5.In Powerball the 5-of-5 match prize is $1,000,000 whatever the Power Play number is.

California Mega Millions payouts are all on pari-mutuel basis. Click here for the latest CA Mega Millions Prizes.

Claiming Mega Millions Prizes: Usually prizes of less than $600 can be claimed at any retailer. However, every state hasits own rules for claiming lottery prizes. Please see your state's info page on this web site or go to the Mega Millions page ofthe official site of your state by clicking on the map further below.

Also, how long you have to collect a Mega Millions prize depends on the state where you bought your tickets. The time period forclaiming a prize ranges from 180 days to 1 year from the draw date.

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About Mega Millions Jackpot

The Mega Millions advertised jackpot starts at approximately $12 million ($7 mil actual) and rolls over to the next drawing if nobody wins.Initially the jackpot grows by a few millions, but later it by tens of millions after every draw. When there is awinner it goes back to $12 million. The jackpot is always paid on pari-mutuel basis, that is, it is divided among the winners ifthere are more than one.

The Mega Millions jackpot jackpot winner has the option of choosing the payment method as CASH or ANNUITY. The cash jackpot (about half of the advertised jackpot)is all the money that Mega Millions has on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. If a player chooses the cash option, then thelottery will pay the entire cash amount to the winner (less income tax withholding amounts required by federal and state laws).In the case ANNUITY option, the advertised jackpot is paid in equal amounts over 26 years.

The following is sample payment examples listed on the Mega Millions web site.

Advertised JackpotAnnual PayoutApprox. Cash Value
$12 million$461,538/year$7,042,000
$25 million$961,538/year$14,670,000
$60 million$2,307,692/year$35,210,000
$137 million$5,269,231/year$80,396,000
$270 million$10,384,615/year$158,445,000
$331 million$12,730,769/year$194,242,000

What this table tells us is that the cash option (the actual jackpot) of Mega Millions is 58.683% of the Advertised jackpot

Is the Mega Millions Jackpot as advertised? ABSOLUTELY NOT! The actual Mega Millions jackpot is about half of what is advertised. What theMega Millions people are saying is "You are dumb, we are smart. We can invest your money and double it over 26 years." And the smartjackpot winners are saying "Kiss my A.." and they collect cash prizes.

You can see the list of Mega Millions jackpot winners here

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Mega Millions States

Mega Millions Lottery General Information (2)

The map shows the states where Mega Millions is currently played. Florida and Louisiana are the only 'lottery states' whereMega Millions is not played. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming do not play any lottery game.

You can click on a Mega Millions state to be directed to that state's Mega Millions page.For DC click here.

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Links to some Mega Millions Official Web Site Pages

Although we have tried to cover all the pertinent information of the Mega Millions lottery game, we recommend that you also look at thefollowing pages at the Mega Millions official web site.

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Mega Millions at US-Lotteries.com

The main purpose of this web site (US-Lotteries.com) is to present a well formatted latest and past results; analysis and statisticsof past winning numbers, digits, pairs, triads; search to see if your favorite numbers have ever won or have come close to winningthe jackpot; mathematical tools such as combinations generators and wheels. The complete list of all Mega Millions pages of thisweb site are listed below.

  • Mega Millions summary of page contents with latest and recent results
  • All past winning numbers of Mega Millions displayed on a monthly calendar
  • Search for the past performace of any Mega Millions set of numbers with full or partial match
  • Yearly Mega Millions winning numbers on a calendar for printing
  • Least and most frequently drawn, late and hot Mega Millions numbers for specified draws or time interval
  • Frequency and last appearance of Mega Millions pairs
  • Frequency and last appearance of Mega Millions regular-Mega ball pairs
  • Check winning history of combinations of Mega Millions lottery numbers
  • Mega Millions Full Wheel - generates all combinations of a given set of numbers with the option of fixing some
  • Pre-designed combinations that guarantee lower prizes of Mega Millions
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Mega Millions Lottery General Information (2024)

FAQs

Is there a trick to winning the Mega Millions? ›

The Mega Millions, like any lottery, is a game of chance. Glickman suggests that the best way to increase your chances of winning is to buy more tickets, within reason. For example, if the probability of winning the jackpot is 1 in 302,575,350 with one ticket, it becomes 2 in 302,575,350 if you buy two.

What are the 5 most common Mega Millions numbers? ›

USA Mega, which tracks Mega Millions statistics, says the most common Mega Millions numbers are 10, 3, 17, 14 and 46 for the first five numbers.

What are the luckiest numbers on Mega Million? ›

As for the Mega Ball, only six numbers have been drawn more than 100 times: 1, 3, 9, 10, 15, and 7. Only 9 and 15 have not been pulled during this jackpot run, Lotto America shows.

How to increase chances of winning Mega Millions? ›

You can, however, increase your chances by simply buying more tickets. Buying 100 tickets would cut your odds from 1 in 302.6 million to roughly 1 in 3.026 million. If you want to purchase nearly every possible number combination, that would set you back about $600 million.

Has anyone ever won Mega Millions with Quick Pick? ›

$522 Million (California)

Once again, this winning ticket was a result of a Quick Pick. The lucky winner chose to take the cash option of $340 million before taxes and said she planned to pay off debt and buy a new home with her newfound fortune.

What is the strategy for winning the Mega Millions lottery? ›

Buy more than one ticket.

Make sure to pick a different set of numbers for each ticket, or you won't improve your odds at all! Your odds of winning the jackpot (as of 2023) with one ticket are approximately 1 in 303 million. So, if you buy 2 tickets, your odds become 1 in 156.5 million.

What is the least drawn Mega number? ›

The 'loneliest' numbers

As for the Mega Ball, one number holds the least-drawn spot: 8, drawn just 18 times in the past seven years. It's been more than 130 days since 8 was drawn as the Mega Ball. While the Mega Ball number of 23 has been drawn 19 times, it's been more than 350 days since it was last drawn.

What lottery numbers hit the most? ›

Most common main numbers
  • 17: Drawn 60 times.
  • 46: Drawn 59 times.
  • 14: Drawn 59 times.
  • 31: Drawn 58 times.
  • 64: Drawn 58 times.
  • 8: Drawn 57 times.
  • 15: Drawn 57 times.
  • 38: Drawn 56 times.
Mar 20, 2024

How to pick Mega Millions numbers? ›

To play, pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers: either five different numbers from 1-70 for the white numbers, and one number from 1-25 for the gold Mega Ball. You win the Mega Millions jackpot by matching your numbers to all six numbers pulled in the drawing.

What are hot numbers in the lottery? ›

Hot numbers are the numbers that are drawn most often in any given lottery in any given time frame.

What is the most likely number to win the lottery? ›

If you plan to play the drawing, do you have numbers in mind? A new study reveals the lottery numbers you should play to win big: The number 28 is drawn most often across all lotteries, with an average frequency of 201.4. The numbers 16 and 39 are second and third, with average frequencies of 200.6 and 199, ...

What are the top 5 luckiest numbers? ›

Luckiest lottery numbers in America
  • According to their data, 28 was chosen most often at an average of 201.4 times.
  • Sixteen is close behind at an average of 200.6 times.
  • Third is 39 at 199 times.
  • It narrowly beat 32 at 198.8 times.
  • The fifth hottest number was 15 at 198 times.
Apr 15, 2024

Is there a strategic way to win the lottery? ›

“The only way to really increase the odds of winning any lottery is to buy more tickets. The more tickets you buy, the more chances you have to win,” Kapoor said.

What is the best strategy for picking lottery numbers? ›

In particular, pick random numbers. If you pick your favorite number or the day of your birthday like the 7th, which is the day of the next drawing, many people can be doing the same and that puts a lot of numbers between 1 and 31. Picking your own numbers doesn't change the odds of winning.

Why is it harder to win Mega Millions? ›

Flashback: Powerball made the game harder to win in October 2015 when it added more white balls to the mix. Mega Millions changed its rules and odds in 2017. Changes to both lotteries were designed to create more possible number combinations, making the chances of winning more of a pipe dream.

Is there a pattern in Mega Millions? ›

Not at all! In a lotto game like Mega Millions, the order in which the numbers are drawn does not matter. The numbers on your ticket are always shown in numerical order, as are the winning numbers for each drawing as reported here on megamillions.com.

Are you more likely to win Mega Millions with quick pick or own numbers? ›

Picking your own numbers doesn't change the odds of winning. But, picking random numbers does increase the odds that if you win, no one else wins.

Is it easier to win Mega Millions? ›

Your chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are roughly 1 in 302.6 million. Your odds are slightly better when it comes to Powerball, where you have a 1 in 24.87 chance at any prize, ranging from $4 to the jackpot. Your chances of actually hitting the jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million.

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