How is mega millions played

If you claim a prize on a winning Advance Play ticket before all of the draws on the ticket have occurred, you will be issued a continuation ticket for the remaining draws with the same play numbers as the original ticket.

All prizes must be claimed within days of the applicable drawing date. To play, in each panel: Select five numbers from 1 through 70 in the upper play area, or mark the QP Quick Pick box and let the terminal randomly pick some or all of your numbers. Select your Mega Ball number from 1 through 25 in the lower play area, or mark the QP Quick Pick box for the terminal to randomly select your Mega Ball number.

To win two to five times more on your non-jackpot prizes, select the Megaplier box. To play the same numbers for more than one draw, simply tell the retailer how many advance draws you wish to play or select the number of draws in the Advance Play section of your playslip. Review your selections carefully.

You will receive a ticket printed with your numbers, drawing date s , and total cost of the ticket. You win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing. Until further notice, the starting jackpot will vary based on sales and will be announced before each drawing. All other Mega Millions states set the 2nd through 9th prizes at pre-determined amounts.

Annuity option: The Mega Millions annuity is paid out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. See more information about the annuity option. See the Where To Play page for details. With millions of people playing, jackpots can roll to even higher levels at a faster rate.

You choose six numbers and there are nine exciting ways to win in the game. Until further notice, the starting jackpot will vary based on sales and will be announced before each drawing. Winning numbers are posted shortly after each drawing. Information on the number of winners is posted on Wednesday and Saturday mornings after Mega Millions lottery security has verified winning ticket sales. 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. And as interest in the multi-state games grew, so did the participants. Sales for the country's newest multi-state jackpot game began on May 15, , and the first drawing was May 17, It didn't take long for players in other states to join the mega fun!

By September , Washington had joined Mega Millions and in December , Texas began offering the game to its players. In June , California became the 12th member, solidifying Mega Millions as the country's most widely played multi-state jackpot game. On January 31, , 23 more state lotteries joined Mega Millions as an historic cross-selling agreement between Mega Millions and Powerball went into effect. Eastern Time, p. Central Time, p. Mountain Time, p.

Pacific Time. Check with your state lottery for the cut-off time to purchase tickets. See our How to Play page for details of all prize levels. To find out if your state participates, visit the lottery web site in the state in which you bought the ticket. Just the Jackpot tickets are not eligible for any other prize levels.

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.

Winners can decide how to share a prize when they claim it. Some restrictions do apply. Please check with the lottery in the state where you bought your tickets. The scams take many forms and the scammers use many tricks. In most cases, the criminals e-mail 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.