Find out how much a Mega Millions ticket costs as the jackpot soars to over one billion dollars – the third biggest lottery prize in US history. The pot has reached a whopping $1.55 billion after 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner.
The last time someone won the top prize was April 18 and the amount has been rising every week. The record win was $2.04 billion which someone got in the Powerball in 2022. To be in with a chance of becoming a billionaire too, all you have to do is buy a ticket!
How much is a Mega Millions ticket?
Mega Millions tickets only cost $2 per play and you can buy as many tickets as you like. The lottery game can be played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands.
All you have to do is pick six numbers from two separate pools. This includes five numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball).
You can also select Easy Pick or Quick Pick which will select your six numbers at random. To win the jackpot, you have to match all six of the numbers.
Drawing days and cut off times
There are two Mega Millions draws per week, one on Tuesday and another on Friday. If no one wins, the prize money rolls over and increases.
The drawing takes place at 11pm ET (10pm CT/ 8pm PT) and the cut-off time for buying tickets depends on which state you live in.
A number of states allow you to buy tickets right up until 15 minutes before including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky and Maryland.
Others include Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and the District of Colombia.
However, these states stop selling tickets an hour before the drawing: Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Any states that aren’t listed above have more obscure cut-off times. Some also vary depending on the time of year.
Two ways to claim the jackpot
If you are lucky enough to win the mega jackpot, there are two ways you can claim your prize money:
- Annuity option: The sum is paid out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous one. This helps protect winners’ lifestyles and purchasing power in periods of inflation.
- Cash option: A one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.
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