FAQs

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What is Mega Millions and where can I play the game?

Mega Millions® is a multi-state lottery game with MEGA jackpots and MEGA fun. You choose six numbers – five numbers from 1 to 70, and one number (the Mega Ball) from 1 to 24 – or a quick pick, and there are nine exciting ways to win in the game. You can play Mega Millions in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U. S. Virgin Islands; a total of 47 jurisdictions. See the Where To Play page for details. 

When and where are Mega Millions drawings held?

Mega Millions® drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time, 10 p.m. Central Time, 9 p.m. Mountain Time, 8 p.m. Pacific Time. Drawings are held at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Check with your state lottery for the cut-off time to purchase tickets; it will vary by jurisdiction.

Can I buy Mega Millions tickets online?

If you are in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or the District of Columbia, you may buy Mega Millions® tickets online by registering with the lotteries in those jurisdictions. You may also purchase subscriptions for Mega Millions online in New York. In most cases, you must be residents of these jurisdictions to participate in these purchase options, but in all cases you must be physically within their borders when you make any online ticket purchases. Details may be found on those lotteries' websites (see Where to Play).

Can I buy Mega Millions tickets if I live in another country?

Visitors to the United States are always welcome to purchase tickets for our game from an American lottery retailer while they are visiting this country. You do not need to be a resident or citizen to win. However, Mega Millions® tickets are NOT sold outside the United States. Mega Millions is NOT affiliated with and does NOT endorse any company claiming to sell our tickets around the world, online or otherwise. If you choose to do business with one of these companies, you do so at your own risk -- it would be up to the lottery that actually sold the ticket here to decide whether that ticket is valid. We also stress that Mega Millions rules prohibit the purchase of tickets by agents representing players in other jurisdictions.

Where can I get results for Mega Millions?

Right here on the official Mega Millions® website. Winning numbers and the official drawing video are posted shortly after each drawing on Tuesday and Friday nights. Information on the number of winners is posted on Wednesday and Saturday mornings after all lotteries have certified their results; typically 90 minutes to two hours after each drawing.

Many television, radio, news and other media outlets carry the winning numbers for each drawing. All participating lotteries also will have the winning numbers posted on their official websites. Many individual lotteries offer an email or texting service where you can automatically receive winning numbers after each draw. Find your lottery on our Where to Play page for more information. You can also call a player information telephone number in each Mega Millions state. These numbers are listed on the Contact Us page.

Is there an email or texting service that sends out winning numbers after the drawings?

Many of our participating lotteries do offer such a service; you do not need to be a resident of a particular state to sign up. Instructions are typically on a lottery's website. Because Mega Millions is managed by a consortium of lotteries, we do not have the full-time dedicated staff required to maintain an email list for this purpose and rely instead on our participating lotteries. 

Do the numbers on my ticket have to be in the same order as the numbers are drawn?

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. That makes them easy to compare. But In a lottery game like Mega Millions®, the order in which the numbers are drawn does not matter, with the exception of the Mega Ball. The Mega Ball drawn must match exactly to the Mega Ball shown on your ticket in order to be considered a valid match, but the remaining numbers can show up in any order.

If I purchase a Mega Millions ticket in one state, can I redeem it in another?

Because Mega Millions® is sold by individual lotteries, any winning tickets must be redeemed in the state or jurisdiction in which they were purchased. Lotteries typically have a claim-by-mail option for most prize levels; you can find details on their websites.

Is there a Mega Millions mobile app?

Because Mega Millions® is sold by individual lotteries, there is no official game app (although our website is a mobile-first design). Most lotteries have their own apps, which typically contain information about the games they offer, including Mega Millions. Some lotteries’ apps also provide winning number notifications, ticket checkers, and other useful tools.

Why did the ticket price change from $2 to $5 in April 2025?

Mega Millions® has changed only four times since the game began in May 2002, with just two ticket price adjustments. It went from $1 to $2 in October 2017, and from $2 to $5 beginning with the April 8, 2025, drawing. The $5 price point includes a built-in multiplier, replacing the optional Megaplier (which was a $1 extra purchase at the previous $2 price point). 

The $5 price point allows us to provide great value to our players by offering a starting jackpot of $50 million and substantially increased prizes at all levels. There are no more break-even prizes, as any winning ticket wins a minimum of $10. Non-jackpot prizes are 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X and now 10X larger than they were under the previous game.

And while jackpot games always rely on chance, and big jackpot rolls are unpredictable, once the jackpot momentum builds to higher levels, the $5 price point will allow for faster-growing jackpots. 

How much can I win?

There are nine ways to win in Mega Millions®, and prizes range from $10 to $10 million, plus the variable jackpot. The $5 ticket price includes a built-in multiplier for all non-jackpot prizes, which may be 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X; it is randomly assigned and shown on your ticket. A table summarizing prizes for all tiers and all multipliers is also on the How to Play page.

How will the multiplier be assigned on my multi-drawing advance play or subscription purchase?

Mega Millions® tickets are sold by our 47 participating lotteries, and their implementation of these features will vary. We advise asking your lottery’s customer service team for the most accurate information.

What are the payout options if I win the jackpot?

If you are a Mega Millions® jackpot winner, you will have the choice of a Cash Option or an annual payout, also called the Annuity Option. The Cash Option provides a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool and is based on actual sales. The Annuity Option provides for an initial annual payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5 percent larger than the previous one. This prize option also is based on the actual cash value of the jackpot, and the 30-year U.S. Treasures rate. Note that these actual values may vary from the estimates. Prize claim parameters vary from state to state. Contact your Mega Millions state lottery for detailed information.

Can a Mega Millions jackpot winner claim the prize anonymously?

Public disclosure laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some require their lotteries to publicly identify winners, while others do not. Check with the lottery in your jurisdiction.

Can a group of people share a Mega Millions prize?

Yes, Mega Millions® prizes can be shared. Winners can decide how to share a prize when they claim it. Some restrictions do apply. Please check with the lottery in the state or jurisdiction where you bought your tickets.

How long do I have to collect a Mega Millions prize?

Claim periods vary by jurisdiction based on local rules and regulations, so the time period for claiming prizes ranges from 90 days to one year from the draw date. Please check with the lottery in the state where your ticket was purchased to get the applicable claim period for that ticket.

What happens if I lose a ticket?

Mega Millions® and our participating lotteries are not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. Protect yourself by signing the back of your ticket(s). Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Unless signed, anyone in possession of the ticket can file a prize claim.

Are prizes taxable?

Yes. All prizes are subject to income taxes. For tax-withholding information, please check with your participating lottery.

What happens to Mega Millions payments if the winner dies before collecting?

If a winner who has chosen the Annuity Option dies before receiving all annual payments, Mega Millions® will continue to pay the annual payments, as scheduled, to the winner's designated beneficiary or to the winner's estate.

What happens to a Mega Millions jackpot prize if it is not claimed?

If a jackpot prize is not claimed within the required time limit in the state or jurisdiction where the winning ticket was sold (which varies from 90 days to one year), each participating lottery will get back all the money they contributed (through ticket sales) to the unclaimed jackpot. Each lottery uses its unclaimed lottery prizes for different purposes, typically determined by the lottery legislation in each jurisdiction (the lotteries themselves don't make that determination). For example, some states put the money back into their prize pool to be used for promotions and additional prizes, some send it to their beneficiaries, like education and scholarships, and others may use it for multiple purposes. Contact the lottery where you play to find out how unclaimed prizes are used.

Can I still collect my prize if I won on a ticket from the old version of the game?

If you have a winning Mega Millions® ticket that was issued for a drawing date of April 4, 2025 or earlier, you should be able to claim you prize if you do so by the deadline set by the lottery where the ticket was purchased. Some lotteries allow prize claims for up to a year after the drawing date, but others have shorter claim periods. All winning tickets for drawings from the old game will be paid based on the prize matrix in effect during the time of the drawing for those tickets, regardless of when a prize is claimed. Historical drawing results are available on our Previous Drawings page.

What was the Megaplier?

The Megaplier® feature was retired when the new Mega Millions® launched on April 5, 2025. It was an optional feature available in most states; an extra $1 purchase would increase all non-jackpot prize winnings by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times, depending on the Megaplier number for that drawing. Past drawing results through April 4, 2025, are shown with both standard prizes and Megaplier prizes.

What was Just the Jackpot?

The Just the Jackpot option was retired when the new Mega Millions® launched on April 5, 2025. Available in some states, it provided players two chances at the jackpot for just $3.00. Just the Jackpot tickets were not eligible for any other prize levels.

How was Mega Millions created?

The history of Mega Millions® is as exciting as playing the game! It started out as the Big Game in 1996. Following a record $363 million Big Game jackpot in 2000, interest in multi-state games was at an all-time high.

As interest in the multi-state games grew, so did the participants. In May 2002, New York and Ohio joined the existing Big Game participants Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia to create Mega Millions! Sales for the country's newest multi-state jackpot game began on May 15, 2002, and the first drawing was May 17, 2002.

It didn't take long for players in other states to join the mega fun! By September 2002, Washington had joined Mega Millions and in December 2003, Texas began offering the game to its players. In June 2005, California became the 12th member, solidifying Mega Millions as the country's most widely played multi-state jackpot game.

On January 31, 2010, 23 more state lotteries joined Mega Millions as an historic cross-selling agreement between Mega Millions and Powerball went into effect. Today, all American lotteries participate in Mega Millions, including the Virgin Islands Lottery.

How does Mega Millions take care of business?

Mega Millions® is a consortium of jurisdictions, not an actual legal entity. The Mega Millions Consortium is comprised of nine Member Lotteries and their directors. The group is governed by the nine directors, who are signatories to the membership agreement.
 
Unlike some multi-state or multi-country lotteries that have central offices, all Mega Millions duties are shared by Member Lotteries as part of their membership in the game. The group in its entirety is responsible for setting game rules and regulations and overseeing all operational and financial aspects of the Mega Millions game. This work is conducted by the employees of the Member Lotteries.

While most accounting is handled by each participating lottery individually, key duties such as projecting jackpots, budgeting and expenditures, settlements of draw and wagering data, financial settlements (prize expense shares and banking/cash settlements), monitoring of draw data and statistics, public relations, draw show production and broadcasting, technical duties (i.e. software development) and legal work are all shared by the Member Lotteries.

How are Mega Millions jackpots estimated?

Members of the Mega Millions® Consortium meet every Tuesday and Friday morning to determine the game’s estimated jackpots for the next two drawings. Lottery Directors and finance representatives share their state’s individual sales forecasts during that meeting to estimate the total sales that are projected for those drawings. Those sales estimates are then used to determine the estimated cash value of the jackpots and the advertised annuity values, with the annuity value based on that day’s 30-year U.S. Treasuries rate, which can change day to day. The rate on any drawing day is often different from the rate on the previous drawing day, when the jackpot is first estimated.

Why doesn’t the actual jackpot amount match the estimated value?

When won, the final Mega Millions® jackpot value can end up being different from the estimate because estimates, while based on trends and historical patterns, are still estimates. When jackpots become extremely large, there are few precedents upon which to base the estimates. Typically, as much as 70% of sales occur on the drawing day, so forecasting precise numbers in advance can be difficult and can be affected by external factors such as the weather. Changes in both sales and the U.S. Treasuries rate explain why the advertised jackpot amounts are always noted as estimates. Historically, actual winning jackpots have come in at levels above, below, and equal to the estimated figures in roughly similar proportions. And regardless of whether a jackpot-winning player chooses the cash value or the annuity option, they receive the available jackpot based on actual sales, which may vary from the estimated jackpot.

Does the public benefit from lottery sales?

Absolutely! While the biggest expenditure for lotteries is paying prizes to winners (50% of Mega Millions® sales are paid back to players in prizes, for example), lotteries exist to benefit good causes. Although the percentage varies by jurisdiction, approximately 25% of all lottery revenue supports important state programs, including education and scholarships, programs for senior citizens and veterans, economic development, and the environment. Historically, as jackpots rise, more people play the lottery, and therefore, more revenues go to these good causes.
 
In addition, some 225,000 retailers around the country benefit from the sales of all lottery products, receiving an average of about 6% of sales. Again, that will vary a bit by jurisdiction, but it is important revenue; it can even help keep smaller retailers in business, benefiting the greater community at large.

I received an email or phone call saying that I have won Mega Millions. Is it legitimate?

If you have not already purchased a Mega Millions® ticket from a participating lottery, this is a scam. You can’t win any legitimate lottery if you didn’t buy a ticket.

Scams take many forms and the scammers use many tricks. In most cases, the criminals e-mail, text or call to tell intended victims they have won a large prize. They might identify themselves as being with Mega Millions or another legitimate lottery, even though Mega Millions is a game, not an organization, and is only sold through participating lotteries.

These scams all have one thing in common: They try to trick you into sending them money or personal information by claiming that you have won a large lottery prize. The crooks usually try to get you to wire money for “taxes” or “fees,” or may try to get you to provide them with a bank account number, which they will then clean out.

Please contact your local lottery if you have any questions or have received a suspicious email or phone call.

More information on lottery scams