The annuity option invests the cash lump sum in government bonds over 29 years, so it gains interest over time. Use our annuity payment schedule tool view an estimate of these annual payments. The only exception to this is the state of California, which calculates prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning that payouts are determined by the number of tickets sold and the number of winning tickets. The model used for Mega Millions is the Criterion II, manufactured by Smartplay International of Edgewater Park, New Jersey. The balls are moved around by means of counter-rotating arms which randomly mix the balls.

Reflecting common practice among American lotteries, the jackpot is advertised as a nominal value of annual installments. A cash-value option (the usual choice), when chosen by a jackpot winner, pays the approximate present value of the installments. Mega Millions’ previous format began on October 19, 2013, its first drawing was three days later. In the current version of Mega Millions, five white balls are drawn from a pool of 70, and one gold-colored "MegaBall" is drawn from a separate pool of 25, a player must match all six numbers to win the jackpot.

The Megaplier will be removed https://nv-pl.com/en/opinions/ and replaced with a built-in multiplier that is included in the new $5 entry fee. You can find a complete list of every change on our dedicated changes page using the button below. The New Jersey Lottery, among others, in early 2009 announced it would seek permission to sell Powerball tickets alongside Mega Millions. In October 2009, an agreement between Mega Millions and MUSL allowed all U.S. lotteries, including New Jersey’s, to offer both games.

Record jackpots (listed by annuity value)

Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win. The Quick Pick play generates random numbers to use in the draw so that you don’t have to come up with your own. If you’re feeling especially unlucky, or don’t want to go through the hassle of picking, you can ask for a "Quick Pick" or an "Easy Pick.” These options let the computer randomly generate numbers for you.

Current Mega Millions Jackpot

Take your pick from all these extras and mark those you want to play, or just leave them blank and just enter one draw. Mega Millions is set to undergo major changes in April 2025. The updates will include changes to the ball matrix that is used, specifically lowering the ball pool for the Mega Ball from 25 to 24, making the odds of winning a prize much better for every player.

What day is the next Mega Millions drawing?

The first jackpot prize was won Jan. 17 in Arizona, and it was worth a comparably paltry sum of $112 million. Ever since Mega Millions rebranded in 2010, there have been some incredible jackpots won by players from across the U.S. Each line entered will cost $2, or $3 if you include the Megaplier.

It’s offered in Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. When playing Just the Jackpot, non-jackpot prizes are not available. Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores.

Multiplier Prize Examples

Around the same time, for entirely different reasons, Ohio’s governor also gave the green light to joining a multi-jurisdictional game. Both lotteries opted to join nv casinos The Big Game, which, at the time, was offered in seven states. The added populations of the two new jurisdictions, in turn, led to a larger double matrix. The first machine continued to hold white 52 balls, while 16 gold balls were added in the second, meaning there were 52 numbers to pick from in both parts of each $1 game. On May 15, 2002, the game was renamed The Big Game Mega Millions, shortly after, it became just Mega Millions.

Therefore, if you have entered your numbers into more than one drawing, the entry fee will be multiplied by the number of draws you have entered it into, so make sure you know how much the ticket will cost before you go to pay. In January 2012, Mega Millions’ rival Powerball was altered, among the changes were a price increase of $1 for each play, as a result, a base game costs $2, or $3 with the Power Play option. The price of a Mega Millions play stayed the same until 2017.

• It’s offered in Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
• All participating Mega Millions states offer the Megaplier option except for California.
• The multiplier replaced the original Megaplier option in April 2025.
• A ticket matching those exact numbers was bought at a Casey’s General Store in Cortland, according to lottery officials.
• Mega Millions winnings are exempt from state income tax in California, while Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not have an income tax.
• Will a $2 Mega Millions ticket make you a multimillionaire this week?

The Megaplier is drawn before six Mega Millions numbers are drawn. Officials said that, ever since Illinois began taking part in the Mega Millions lottery back in 2002, the state has seen 16 jackpot winners, including the game’s first two jackpot winners in May 2002. A ticket matching those exact numbers was bought at a Casey’s General Store in Cortland, according to lottery officials. It marks just the second large jackpot Mega Millions win this year so far.

If you choose the annuity, you will receive one immediate payment and 29 annual payments after that. Each payment will be five percent larger than the last one in order to match the cost of living over time. If you choose the cash payment, you will receive a one-time payment equivalent to the cash in the jackpot prize pool. Mega Millions (originally known as The Big Game in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to The Big Game Mega Millions six years later) is an American multijurisdictional lottery game. The first drawing took place on September 6, 1996, with six participating states, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Virginia.

The Georgia Lottery was a member of MUSL at the time and wanted to sell both games for the remainder of 1996, but within a few days, Georgia was forcibly removed from MUSL, returning with the 2010 cross-selling expansion. A Mega Millions lottery ticket that contained all the winning numbers – bought along the western edge of the Chicago metro area, in DeKalb County – has made someone in Illinois $344 million richer this week. Players have between 180 and 365 days to claim Mega Millions prizes, with this time limit being determined by the state in which the Mega Millions ticket was purchased. The Illinois Lottery said this is the fourth person to win the Mega Millions jackpot in the state in nearly four years. Every lottery ticket sold also helps the state’s education system, as the Illinois Lottery donates nine of the 24 million dollars in ticket sales to the state’s common school fund supporting K-12 education.