Enter the Mega Millions lottery and you might become a mega millionaire! Here you can find everything you need to know—from learning how to play and discovering how you can claim your prize to analyzing statistics and getting the latest draw results.
Draws are held on Tuesday and Friday nights at 11:00 PM ET in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mega Millions Overview
Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery played across 47 localities in North America with a starting jackpot of $20 million. The top prize rolls over when it is not won and has regularly exceeded $500 million since changes were made to the game in 2017. It has even topped $1 billion on multiple occasions.
Tickets cost $2 and to take part you are required to select five white numbers from a possible 70, followed by one red Mega Ball from a second pool of 25. The jackpot is won if any ticket matches the full set of numbers, while there are eight more prize tiers rewarding players who match fewer numbers.
An extra option for Mega Millions players in the majority of states is to add the Megaplier to their ticket for an extra $1 per play. The Megaplier provides a way to multiply the value of non-jackpot prizes by up to five times, so anyone who has added the option to their ticket will see their award increased if they have matched enough numbers.
| Draw Days: | Tuesday & Friday |
| Ticket Price: | $2 |
| Prize Multiplier: | Megaplier (2, 3, 4, 5 or 10x) |
| Starting Jackpot: | $20 million |
| Biggest Jackpot: | $1.602 billion |
Mega Millions & Powerball Comparison
Draw Days
Starting Jackpot
Record Jackpot
Ticket Price
Next Jackpot
Mega Millions
2x Weekly
$20 Million
$1.602 Billion
$2.00
$178 Million
Powerball
3x Weekly
$20 Million
$2.04 Billion
$2.00
$98 Million
You may also find these pages useful:
Statistics
Check out the latest Mega Millions statistics, updated in real-time after each drawing.
Number Generator
Generate your own Quick Pick numbers for a future draw, as many times as you like.
Mega Millions Prize Table
Players must pick 5 balls from a pool of 70 and 1 Mega Ball from a separate pool of 25. Non-jackpot prizes are fixed amounts except in California.
| Prize Level | Payout | Odds of Winning | Winners in Last Draw | Avg. Winners Per Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 5 + Mega Ball | Jackpot | 1 in 302,575,350 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Match 5 | $1,000,000 | 1 in 12,607,306 | 0 | 2.7 |
| Match 4 + Mega Ball | $10,000 | 1 in 931,001 | 12 | 26.8 |
| Match 4 | $500 | 1 in 38,792 | 277 | 767.4 |
| Match 3 + Mega Ball | $200 | 1 in 14,547 | 756 | 1,622.8 |
| Match 3 | $10 | 1 in 606 | 17,751 | 43,253.1 |
| Match 2 + Mega Ball | $10 | 1 in 693 | 15,688 | 32,534.5 |
| Match 1 + Mega Ball | $4 | 1 in 89 | 122,954 | 245,266.3 |
| Match Mega Ball Only | $2 | 1 in 37 | 306,367 | 590,703.5 |
| The overall Mega Millions odds are approx. 1 in 24 | ||||
Megaplier
A Megaplier number – 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x – will be drawn at random before the main draw takes place. If you have added the Megaplier to your ticket you will have your prize boosted by the value of that multiplier. It does not apply to the jackpot, but it boosts all other prizes, so if you match five numbers you could win up to $5 million. The following table shows the odds of each Megaplier being selected.
| Megaplier | Odds of being drawn |
|---|---|
| 5x | 1 in 15 |
| 4x | 1 in 5 |
| 3x | 1 in 2.5 |
| 2x | 1 in 3 |
Top 5 Biggest Mega Millions Jackpots
Mega Millions has offered more billion-dollar jackpots than any other lottery ever and has previously held the record for the biggest jackpot ever won by a single ticket. Find out more about all the biggest wins below.
1
Jackpot: $1.602 Billion
Date: August 8, 2023
Winners: 1x (FL)
After having rolled over 31 times, the largest Mega Millions jackpot was won in Florida. This is also the third-largest jackpot ever offered by US lotteries and the fifth time in the lottery’s history that the jackpot had topped $1 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach.
2
Jackpot: $1.537 Billion
Date: October 23, 2018
Winners: 1x (SC)
The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot, also known as “Mega Billions”, was won by a single Quick Pick ticket in October 2018. The winner came forward to claim their win five months after the draw. They chose to remain anonymous and opted for the cash option of $877.7 million. The ticket was bought in the small town of Simpsonville, South Carolina.
3
Jackpot: $1.348 Billion
Date: January 13, 2023
Winners: 1x (MR)
After having rolled over for three months, the grand prize was won by a single ticket holder from Maine. The winning ticket was sold at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon. The winner decided to claim through LaKoma Island Investments LLC and opted to take the cash option of $723.5 million.
4
Jackpot: $1.337 Billion
Date: July 29, 2022
Winners: 1x (IL)
The winning ticket matching all six numbers brough the biggest lottery win in Illinois to an anonymous duo. The ticket was sold at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, north of Chicago. The pair opted for the cash option of $780.5 million and decided to split the money.
5
Jackpot: $1.130 Billion
Date: March 26, 2024
Winners: 1x (NJ)
The fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot, which has a cash option of $537.5 million, was won by a single winning ticket purchased in New Jersey. This state is one of the luckiest as it currently has 25 Mega Millions jackpot wins. The ticket was purchased at ShopRite Liquor #781, 2200 on Route 66 in Neptune, Monmouth County. The winner has one year to claim the prize and they can choose to remain anonymous.
History
- Mega Millions can trace its roots back to August 1996, when it was launched as The Big Game and tickets were sold across six states for its Friday night draws. The original game required players to select five numbers from a pool of 50, plus one additional number from a second pool of 25. Jackpots could be claimed only via the annuity option.
- The increased popularity of the game led to an additional Tuesday draw being introduced in February 1998. In January 1999, the number matrix was changed to five from 50 and one from 36, combined with the option of a lump-sum payout for jackpot winners.
- In May 2002 the game was rebranded as Mega Millions and the matrix changed again, in order to generate bigger jackpots by making it harder to win. Players were now required to match five from 52 plus one from 52 to win the jackpot.
- The next matrix change occurred in June 2005, which was when California joined the game. Once again, both pools were changed to lengthen the odds against winning, which meant that players now needed to match five from 56 plus one from 46 to win the jackpot.
- The format was altered again in October 2013 to help accelerate the build-up of prize money. The number of balls in the main pool increased to 75, while the Mega Ball pool decreased to just 15 numbers.
Mega Millions Quick Stats
Interested in the hot numbers that appear frequently and the cold ones that are overdue in Mega Millions? Dive into our comprehensive statistics with the button provided.
Hot Numbers
- 10
- 3
- 14
- 17
- 31
Cold Numbers
- 49
- 51
- 65
- 23
- 35