What time do you have to play mega millions by

With a little, or a lot, of luck, someone will be crowned the big winner of the Mega Millions lottery and the $1 billion jackpot. As the drawing nears, it's natural for people to rush to buy tickets, but there is a cutoff time for people taking their shot at becoming wealthy beyond their imagination.

Table of Contents Show

Current Mega Millions Jackpot
How to Play Mega Millions
What is the Megaplier?
Just the Jackpot
Megaplier Prize Multiplier Examples
How to Claim a Mega Millions Prize
Mega Millions Winners
Game History
What is the latest time to buy Mega Millions?
What time do they stop selling lottery tickets in Arizona?
How late can you buy Mega Millions tickets in NY?
How late can you buy Mega Millions tickets in Virginia?

In many states, eligible tickets are sold until 15 minutes before the drawing takes place. The drawing for Mega Millions will occur at 11 p.m. EDT on Friday, so, if you live in an eligible state on the East Coast, you have to purchase your ticket by 10:45 p.m EDT. If you're in Central Time Zone, that means 9:45 p.m. CDT. The West Coast should have their tickets in hand by 7:45 p.m PDT.

However, there are exceptions to this time limit, so it's best to check the rules in your own state. For example, in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, the cutoff is 9:50 p.m. EDT on the day of the drawing.

After a series of drawings during which no one hit big, the Mega Millions reached a whopping $1 billion with a cash option of $565 million on Friday. The massive prize is the second-largest pot of cash in United States lottery history.

A woman purchases Mega Millions tickets in Washington, D.C., on Friday, as the jackpot nears $1 billion. The last chance to purchase tickets in most states is 15 minutes before the drawing. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

To take a shot at winning the life-changing prize money, a person over the age of 18 needs to purchase a ticket for two dollars with the option to guess the Megaplier for an extra dollar. Tickets are sold at a variety of establishments, including convenience stores, gas stations and newspaper stands.

There are two ways a person can select their numbers, either by choosing specific numbers or through random selection. If there is a set of lucky numbers the person wants to play, they select five different numbers ranging from one to 70 and one number ranging from one to 25. If the person wants to leave it up to the computer to decide their fate, they can select the Easy Pick/Quick Pick option and have numbers generated for them.

There are nine ways a person can win the Mega Million lottery, ranging from the top prize down to the cost of their ticket:

5 numbers + gold Mega Ball match = Jackpot
5 numbers + no gold Mega Ball match = $1,000,000
4 numbers + gold Mega Ball match = $10,000
4 numbers + no gold Mega Ball match = $500
3 numbers + gold Mega Ball match = $200
3 numbers + no gold Mega Ball match = $10
2 numbers + gold ball match = $10
1 number + gold ball match = $4
0 numbers + gold ball match = $2

Winners have two choices for claiming their prize, either in an immediate payment followed by 29 subsequent payments, or in one lump sum of cash.

While not as high as the Mega Millions prize, also on the line this weekend is the $470 million prize attached to the Power Ball. The drawing for the Power Ball will take place on Saturday evening.

Mega Millions is an exciting multi-state lottery played every Tuesday and Friday evening across 45 states, plus the District of Columbia and U.S. Virgin Islands jurisdictions. Discover all aspects of the game including the latest Mega Millions winning numbers, prizes, payouts, how to play, the biggest jackpot winners, history of the game, and more.

Current Mega Millions Jackpot

Mega Millions

Next Estimated Jackpot:

$207 Million

How to Play Mega Millions

Here's how to get started playing Mega Millions in four easy steps:

Choose five main numbers between 1 and 70
Choose a Mega Ball number between 1 and 25
Choose whether to play the Megaplier for an additional $1
Purchase tickets before the cut-off time (this varies by state; check with the state lottery for ticket purchase cut-off times)

A video explaining how to play MegaMillions.

Once you have your Mega Millions tickets, simply wait for the drawing, which is held every Tuesday and Friday in Atlanta, Georgia at 11pm ET. Check the Winning Numbers page soon afterwards to find out if you are due a prize.

What is the Megaplier?

For an additional $1, players can opt-in to play the Megaplier, which can significantly increase the value of the non-jackpot prizes.

On the night of each Mega Millions draw, a Megaplier number from 2 to 5 will also be drawn. Any non-jackpot prizes that participating players win will then be multiplied by this Megaplier number. The option to play the Megaplier is offered by all states that participate in the Mega Millions lottery, with the exception of California.

See how potential winnings can grow with Megaplier prize multiplier examples.

Just the Jackpot

Ticket holders also have the option to play Just the Jackpot. Players pay $3 for two lines, which would normally cost $4, but they can only win the jackpot. There is no prize for matching anything less than five main numbers and the Mega Ball. This feature is not currently available in New Hampshire.

Prizes

Mega Millions has nine different prize tiers, ranging from $2 all the way up to the jackpot, which is always guaranteed to be $20 million or more. There is also no cap or rollover limit, meaning prizes can easily run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The prize tiers break down as follows in the majority of states:

Prize Tier	Odds of Winning	Prize Amount
Match 5 + Mega Ball	1 in 302,575,350	Jackpot
Match 5	1 in 12,607,306	$1,000,000
Match 4 + Mega Ball	1 in 931,001	$10,000
Match 4	1 in 38,792	$500
Match 3 + Mega Ball	1 in 14,547	$200
Match 3	1 in 606	$10
Match 2 + Mega Ball	1 in 693	$10
Match 1 + Mega Ball	1 in 89	$4
Match 0 + Mega Ball	1 in 37	$2
Overall odds of winning a Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24

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.

Megaplier Prize Multiplier Examples

If you chose to play the Megaplier, any non-jackpot prize you win is multiplied by the Megaplier number that is drawn.

See below for some examples of how potential prizes can grow with a Megaplier:

Numbers Matched	2x Megaplier	3x Megaplier	4x Megaplier	5x Megaplier
Match 5	$2,000,000	$3,000,000	$4,000,000	$5,000,000
Match 4 + Mega Ball	$20,000	$30,000	$40,000	$50,000
Match 4	$1,000	$1,500	$2,000	$2,500
Match 3 + Mega Ball	$400	$600	$800	$1,000
Match 3	$20	$30	$40	$50
Match 2 + Mega Ball	$20	$30	$40	$50
Match 1 + Mega Ball	$8	$12	$16	$20
Match 0 + Mega Ball	$4	$6	$8	$10

The odds of each Megaplier being drawn are as follows:

Megaplier	Odds of being drawn
2x	1 in 3
3x	1 in 2.5
4x	1 in 5
5x	1 in 15

How to Claim a Mega Millions Prize

So you've matched all (or some) of the numbers selected and you've landed an awesome Mega Millions prize. What do you do now?

Prizes of up to $600 can generally be collected at retailers in the state in which the Mega Millions ticket was bought. If you win a larger prize, notify the relevant State Lottery, who will take you through the next steps. Online players will be notified of wins by email, and will be guided through the process of collecting prizes.

If you've won the jackpot, then you can choose a lump sum payment or an annuity. 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.

Any winnings you receive from Mega Millions will be subject to federal income taxes, as well as any applicable state income taxes. Several of the participating states – Wyoming, Washington, Texas, South Dakota, and Florida – don't levy income taxes on their residents. Tennessee and New Hampshire only impose tax on income from dividends and interest.

If you've just matched all the numbers and are already looking at yachts and mansions, then it might be a good idea to do some math and see how much you have actually won, as the advertised jackpot does not account for state and federal taxes.

Mega Millions Winners

Ever since Mega Millions rebranded in 2010, there have been some incredible jackpots won by players from across the U.S. Below are the top 10 Mega Millions winners of all time.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning a multi-million dollar jackpot, pick your numbers for the next Mega Millions draw at the Tickets page.

Amount	Cash or Annuity?	Date	Winner Details
$1.537 billion	Took the cash option of $877.7 million	October 23rd 2018	After 25 consecutive rollovers, this prize was won by one player from South Carolina, making it both the biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever offered and the biggest lottery jackpot ever won by a single ticket holder anywhere in the world. The player did not come forward until March 2019 and opted to stay anonymous.
$1.337 billion	Took the cash option of $780.5 million	July 29th 2022	One of the biggest jackpots to have been seen on any lottery in the world was finally won by a player from Illinois, who bought their ticket at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, just north of Chicago. The grand prize had been building since mid-April – a sequence of 29 consecutive drawings. It was later confirmed that the jackpot was claimed by a duo, who had an agreement to split the money if they won.
$1.05 billion	Chose the cash option of $776 million	January 22nd 2021	This winning ticket, purchased at a Kroger store in the Detroit suburb of Novi in Michigan, belonged to a four-member lottery club from Oakland County known as the Wolverine FLL Club. It was the biggest win ever seen in Michigan and was not claimed for two months. The winners said they planned to stay humble and help generations to come, as well as support local charities.
$656 million	The Illinois and Maryland winners chose annuity payments totalling $218.6 million, the Kansas winner took a $157 million cash lump sum.	March 30th 2012	Three winning tickets shared a top prize worth a whopping $656 million on March 30th 2012. The prize was split between Merle and Patricia Butler of Red Bud, Illinois, "the Three Amigos" – a group of three education workers in Maryland – and an anonymous ticket holder from Kansas.
$648 million	Took the cash option of $347.6 million	December 17th 2013	Two winners, Georgia grandmother Ira Curry and California delivery driver Steve Tran, shared this impressive $648 million jackpot prize.
$543 million	Not publicized	July 24th 2018	A new record was set for the largest jackpot claimed by a single ticket when a pool of 11 office workers from Santa Clara County in California decided ‘on the spur of the moment’ to spend $2 each on tickets. The lucky winners later insisted they had no plans to give up work just yet.
$536 million	Took the cash option of $378.3 million	July 8th 2016	A family from Indiana claimed $536 million on July 8th 2016. They chose to remain anonymous, in accordance with Indiana laws, and received their prize under the name Warren D LLC. The jackpot was the largest claimed on a single ticket at the time.
$533 million	Took the cash option of $324.6 million	March 30th 2018	Richard Wahl from Vernon became the biggest winner in New Jersey lottery history when he grabbed this sensational jackpot. He said he was part of a ‘humble family’ and wanted to use some of the money for charity work and to rebuild a 1964 Corvette.
$522 million	Took the cash option of $340 million	June 7th 2019	San Diego resident Laarni Bibal waited three months to claim this gigantic prize, finally coming forward in September after keeping it in a secret hiding place. She had bought her Quick Pick ticket from Sorrento Deli Mart and chose to accept the cash option of $340 million.
$516 million	Chose the cash option of $349.3 million	May 21st 2021	A ticket holder from Pennsylvania became the state’s biggest Mega Millions winner after matching all the numbers in this draw. The jackpot had gone 26 drawings since it was last won and had a cash value of $349.3 million.

Game History

Mega Millions is one of the biggest lotteries in the United States, with jackpots often running into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Read on to find out where Mega Millions started, and how it has turned into one of the most exciting lotteries in the world.

Choose your Mega Millions numbers here to be in with a chance of becoming the next winner.

Mega Millions has its roots in a lottery called The Big Game, which held its first drawing on September 6th, 1996, and which drew national attention after a record $363 million jackpot
Tickets were originally sold only in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia
Ohio and New York joined the group in May 2002, and the name of the lottery was changed to The Big Game Mega Millions
Sales for the game began on May 15, 2002, and the first drawing was on May 17, 2002
The state of Washington first participated in Mega Millions in September 2002 and was closely followed by Texas in December 2003
California joined in June 2005, becoming the 12th member of the interstate lottery
The "Big Game" was eventually dropped from the title and the lottery game began to be referred to as Mega Millions
Another 23 state lotteries joined Mega Millions on January 31st, 2010, thanks to a cross-selling agreement with Powerball. Since then, other lotteries have joined the fun, including Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Maine, South Dakota and Wyoming
In October 2017, a number of changes were introduced to the game, including the matrix in the main game decreasing from 75 to 70 and the Mega Ball pool increasing from 15 to 25
A new minimum jackpot of $40 million was also introduced, replacing the existing base figure of $15 million. These alterations were designed to increase the rate at which the top prize grew, offering ticket holders the chance to play for bigger and more exciting prizes
The biggest ever Mega Millions jackpot was won on October 23rd 2018, when a single ticket from South Carolina won $1.5 billion.
Mississippi became the 47th jurisdiction to participate in Mega Millions when tickets went on sale on January 30th 2020.

What is the latest time to buy Mega Millions?

So, tickets can be bought until 10:45 pm.

What time do they stop selling lottery tickets in Arizona?

You can buy a ticket for the Powerball up until 6:59 p.m. Arizona time on draw nights, from the second Sunday in March to the first Saturday in November. That changes to 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on draw nights from the first Sunday in November through the second Saturday in March.

How late can you buy Mega Millions tickets in NY?

In New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, tickets must be purchased by 10:45 p.m. on the Tuesday and Friday to be included in that night's drawing. However, some states have different deadlines and can be more than an hour before the drawing. Check with your local lottery so you don't miss out.

How late can you buy Mega Millions tickets in Virginia?

Mega Millions draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you play Mega Millions: We stop selling Mega Millions tickets at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights - so get your tickets early! Virginia's Mega Millions tickets cannot be canceled and all sales are final!