Mega Millions
U.S. game Mega Millions is one of the biggest lotteries in the world, putting up enormous jackpots every Tuesday and Friday night.
- 26
- 28
- 36
- 63
- 66
- 15
Megaplier: 3x
About Mega Millions
The grand prize isn’t a fixed amount per month like EuroDreams, but if you win you can choose to take an annuity option that would give you graduated payments over 30 years. This can sometimes add up to hundreds of millions of dollars in Mega Millions. The jackpot has even gone above $1 billion a few times in the past.
How to Play Mega Millions
You can play Mega Millions in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, by picking up a ticket from an authorised retailer. Alternatively, you can choose numbers online from various locations. Follow the step-by-step guide below to play Mega Millions.
- Pick five main numbers between 1 and 70, plus a Mega Ball from a separate pool of 1 to 25.
- Add the Megaplier option for an additional cost if you want the chance to win even bigger prizes.
- Enter just the next draw, or multiple draws in a row.
- Pay for your entries – at a cost of $2 each – and wait for the numbers to be drawn.
Draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, in Atlanta, Georgia at 23:00 ET.
Mega Millions Odds and Prizes
To win the Mega Millions jackpot, you must match all six of the numbers you pick to the six numbers that are drawn. If nobody wins, the grand prize rolls over to the next draw and a larger amount will be made available. The jackpot starts at $20 million and grows quickly when it is not won.
You can also win prizes for matching fewer numbers. There’s even a payout for matching the Mega Ball without any of the main numbers. See the table below to find out all the different ways you can win, along with the odds for each category.
| Numbers Matched | Odds of Winning | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Mega Ball | 1 in 302,575,350 | Jackpot |
| 5 | 1 in 12,607,306 | $1 million |
| 4 + Mega Ball | 1 in 931,001 | $10,000 |
| 4 | 1 in 38,792 | $500 |
| 3 + Mega Ball | 1 in 14,547 | $200 |
| 3 | 1 in 606 | $10 |
| 2 + Mega Ball | 1 in 693 | $10 |
| 1 + Mega Ball | 1 in 89 | $4 |
| Mega Ball | 1 in 37 | $2 |
| The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24 | ||
Megaplier
The Megaplier costs an extra $1 per play but rewards you significantly more if you are lucky enough to win a prize. Alongside each draw, a Megaplier is also selected at random – 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X, and any non-jackpot prizes are multiplied by that number. This means you could win as much as $5 million without even matching all the numbers. Here are the prize amounts you can win when you add the Megaplier to your ticket.
| Prize Level | 2X Megaplier | 3X Megaplier | 4X Megaplier | 5X Megaplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 5 + Mega Ball | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot |
| Match 5 | $2 million | $3 million | $4 million | $5 million |
| Match 4 + Mega Ball | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 |
| Match 4 | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| Match 3 + Mega Ball | $200 | $300 | $400 | $500 |
| Match 3 | $20 | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| Match 2 + Mega Ball | $20 | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| Match 1 + Mega Ball | $8 | $12 | $16 | $20 |
| Match 0 + Mega Ball | $4 | $6 | $8 | $10 |
The biggest win in Mega Millions history was worth $1.602 billion and went to a player from Florida in August 2023. A ticket holder from South Carolina had previously won $1.53 billion in October 2018 and stayed anonymous when they came forward to claim their prize.