MegaMillions is, along with Powerball, one of two massively popular multi-state lottery games played in the USA. The game is played in twelve states, including California, New York, Texas and Washington. The first MegaMillions draw took place on 17 May, 2002, but an earlier version of the game known as The Big Game had been played since August 1996.
Megamillions Lottery
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How to Play MegaMillions
There are two Mega Millions draws each week, and these take place every Tuesday and Friday. Jackpots start at $12 million and players have to select five main numbers from the range 1 to 56 and 1 Mega number from the range 1 to 46. Players in the state of Texas can also choose to pay an additional fee and select a Megaplier number that multiplies any non-jackpot prize won, but that facility should not be viewed as part of the main Mega Millions game, since it does not apply to Mega Millions players in other states.
The Mega Millions jackpot is won by any player who correctly matches all five main numbers and the Mega ball number. The odds of achieving this are less than 1 in 175 million, but there are eight additional prize tiers for players who match fewer numbers. The requirements for winning each tier, and the odds involved, are shown in the table below:
Numbers Matched |
Prize Paid |
Odds of Winning |
5 main numbers + Mega |
Jackpot |
1 in 175,711,536 |
5 main numbers |
$250,000 |
1 in 3,904,701 |
4 main numbers + Mega |
$10,000 |
1 in 689,065 |
4 main numbers |
$150 |
1 in 15,313 |
3 main numbers + Mega |
$150 |
1 in 13,781 |
2 main numbers + Mega |
$10 |
1 in 844 |
3 main numbers |
$7 |
1 in 306 |
1 main number + Mega |
$3 |
1 in 141 |
Mega ball only |
$2 |
1 in 75 |
Big Megamilion Winners
If the jackpot is not won in a particular game, the prize is rolled over and added to the MegaMilions jackpot for the next draw. Repeated rollovers have helped to create some Mega jackpots, the biggest so far being worth $390 million. This was won in March 2007 by two lucky winners who shared the pot.
The biggest individual MegaMilions winner so far was a Californian who won $315 million in November 2005.