Mega Millions FAQs

Pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 24, or ask for a Quick Pick and let the terminal choose them at random. Match all six to win the jackpot; there are nine prize tiers in total. Step by step in how to play Mega Millions.

Every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time (10:00 p.m. Central, 9:00 p.m. Mountain, 8:00 p.m. Pacific), at the WSB-TV studio in Atlanta, Georgia. Ticket sales close earlier, at a time set by each state. More in time and place of the drawing.

$5 per play, with a multiplier included that boosts every non-jackpot prize by 2X to 10X. The price went up from $2 in April 2025, when the optional Megaplier was retired.

Just one: the Mega Ball. Matching it on its own wins the lowest prize tier, which pays $10 with a 2X multiplier and up to $50 with a 10X. Without the Mega Ball, you need at least three white balls. Every tier is in Mega Millions prizes.

Every play gets a 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X multiplier, assigned at random when you buy and printed on your ticket. It multiplies every prize except the jackpot, so matching five white balls pays between $2 million and $10 million. More in the Mega Millions multiplier.

It rolls over to the next drawing and keeps growing, with no cap, until someone matches all six numbers. After a win, the jackpot starts again at $50 million. We show the estimated jackpot for the next drawing on the home page; how it grows is explained in the Mega Millions jackpot.

1 in 290,472,336 for the jackpot and 1 in 23.07 for any prize, per play. Every combination has the same chance, whether you pick it or use Quick Pick. All the figures are in Mega Millions odds.

At licensed lottery retailers in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands; it isn't sold in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah or Puerto Rico. Some states also sell tickets online through their state lottery. The options are in where to play Mega Millions.

Yes. You don't need to be a U.S. citizen or resident to buy a ticket or to win: visitors can buy tickets from any U.S. lottery retailer. Non-resident winners are subject to U.S. tax rules, with federal withholding of generally 30%, and should also check the laws of their own country.

It depends on the state where you bought the ticket: claim periods run from 90 days to one year from the drawing date, and some states give jackpot winners less time to choose the cash option. Check the deadline on your state lottery's website. The full process is in how to claim a Mega Millions prize.

Yes. All lottery prizes are taxable income. On prizes over $5,000 the lottery withholds 24% for federal taxes, but that's an advance: on a large prize you may owe more when you file, up to the top rate of 37%. State taxes depend on where you bought the ticket and where you live.

It depends on the state where the winning ticket was bought. Some states require the lottery to identify winners publicly, while others allow full or partial anonymity. Check your state's rules before you claim.

It's a personal decision, best made with a financial advisor. The annuity pays the full advertised jackpot in 30 payments over 29 years, each 5% bigger than the last. The cash option pays much less, but all at once. Taxes apply either way.

We publish the Mega Millions winning numbers from official sources as soon as each drawing is made public, followed by the prize breakdown. Even so, when it comes to claiming a prize, what counts is your ticket and the state lottery that sold it: always confirm a win with them.

Enter your five numbers and your Mega Ball in the ticket checker, pick a drawing or a date range, and it shows your matches and prize tier for each line. The numbers you enter are only used to show you that result and aren't linked to you. Details are in our privacy policy.

The Predictor looks at recent Mega Millions drawings, such as how often each number has come up and which numbers are hot or cold, and builds lines from that data, or completely at random if you prefer. It doesn't predict the drawing: every drawing is independent and every combination has the same chance.

Yes. In results you'll find past drawings, each with its winning numbers and prize breakdown, and in the ticket checker you can pick a date or a date range to check several drawings at once.