How to Play Mega Millions: Rules, Where It's Sold & Draw Times
Mega Millions is America's other giant multi-state lottery, running alongside Powerball as one of the two biggest jackpot games in the US. Here's where it's sold, how the numbers work, and what to expect from a draw.
Where it's sold
Mega Millions is sold in 45 US states, plus Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands. The only 5 states without it are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah — the same states that sit out Powerball, since none of them operate a state lottery at all. Players outside the US sometimes take part through licensed international betting services rather than buying an official ticket.
How to play
Choose 5 main numbers from 1 to 70, then 1 Mega Ball number from 1 to 24, drawn from a separate pool. Matching all 5 main numbers plus the Mega Ball wins the jackpot; there are nine prize tiers in total, so smaller matches still pay out.
Draw schedule and ticket price
Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 23:00 Eastern Time. A standard play costs $5, following an April 2025 price increase from the previous $2 — the higher price now bundles in an automatic multiplier on non-jackpot prizes and bigger fixed prize amounts at every tier.
Jackpot size and odds
The jackpot starts at a minimum of around $50 million and has no fixed cap, regularly climbing past $500 million and occasionally over $1 billion. With a 5-from-70 plus 1-from-24 format, the odds of matching every number are 1 in 290,472,336 — nearly identical to Powerball's odds. See our full odds comparison across all 7 lotteries for exactly how the two compare.
A brief history
Mega Millions launched in 1996 under the name "The Big Game" before adopting its current name in 2002. It has changed its number format and pricing several times since, most recently in April 2025 when the ticket price rose to $5 alongside larger guaranteed non-jackpot prizes.
See real Mega Millions statistics
LottoScopeX tracks every Mega Millions draw with colourful ball displays just like the latest result — browse Mega Millions results, number frequencies & probability patterns.