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Mega Millions
Mega Millions (originally known as The Big Game in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to The Big Game Mega Millions six years later) is an American multijurisdictional lottery game. The first drawing took place on September 6, 1996, with six participating states, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Virginia. After growth of the game in 1997, a Tuesday Drawing was added in February 1998. As of June 30, 2023, it is offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The first (The Big Game) Mega Millions drawing was in 2002. The logo for all versions of the game following the retirement of The Big Game name featured a gold-colored ball with six stars to represent the game's initial membership, although some lotteries insert their respective logos in the ball.
Mega Millions is drawn at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday and Friday evenings, including holidays. It is administered by a consortium of its 12 original lotteries, the drawings are held at the studios of WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, supervised by the Georgia Lottery. The hosts are Carol Blackmon and Adria Wofford.
Under the existing version's regulations (which began April 5, 2025, with the first drawing planned for April 8) for Mega Millions, the minimum Mega Millions advertised jackpot is $50 million, paid in 30 graduated yearly installments, increasing 5% each year (unless the cash option is chosen). The jackpot increases when no top-prize winner results.
Reflecting common practice among American lotteries, the jackpot is advertised as a nominal value of annual installments. A cash-value option (the usual choice), when chosen by a jackpot winner, pays the approximate present value of the installments. Mega Millions' previous format began on October 28, 2017; its first drawing was three days later. In the existing version of Mega Millions, five white balls are drawn from a pool of 70, and one gold-colored "MegaBall" is drawn from a separate pool of 24; a player must match all six numbers to win the jackpot.
Each game costs $5 (previously $2). Each game includes a multiplier known as the "Megaplier", where the base non-jackpot prize is multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. The Megaplier was made available to all Mega Millions jurisdictions in January 2011 as an add-on which cost an extra $1 per play; it began as an option available only in Texas. Several of the game's members[which?] offered an only-the-jackpot option, in which two plays cost $3. None of the lower-tier prizes are in play on such a wager.
On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in American lottery jurisdictions, with the two groups referred to as the "Mega Power Lottery" by many users. The expansion occurred on January 31, 2010, as 23 Powerball members began selling Mega Millions tickets for their first drawing on February 2, 2010; likewise, 10 Mega Millions members began selling Powerball tickets for their first drawing the next day. Montana (joining Mega Millions on March 1, 2010) was the first jurisdiction to add either game after the cross-sell expansion. Nebraska (March 20, 2010), Oregon (March 28, 2010), Arizona (April 18, 2010), Maine (May 9, 2010), Colorado, and South Dakota (the latter two on May 16, 2010) also have joined Mega Millions since the expansion.
As of January 2020, 47 lotteries were offering Mega Millions and Powerball, Florida joined Mega Millions in May 2013. (Puerto Rico, whose lottery began in the 1930s, does not offer Mega Millions.) Mississippi began selling lottery tickets in 2019, it joined Mega Millions on January 30, 2020.
Before the agreement, the only stores that sold Mega Millions and Powerball tickets were retailers whose businesses were on a border between jurisdictions and sold competing games.
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Mega Millions
Mega Millions (originally known as The Big Game in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to The Big Game Mega Millions six years later) is an American multijurisdictional lottery game. The first drawing took place on September 6, 1996, with six participating states, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Virginia. After growth of the game in 1997, a Tuesday Drawing was added in February 1998. As of June 30, 2023, it is offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The first (The Big Game) Mega Millions drawing was in 2002. The logo for all versions of the game following the retirement of The Big Game name featured a gold-colored ball with six stars to represent the game's initial membership, although some lotteries insert their respective logos in the ball.
Mega Millions is drawn at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday and Friday evenings, including holidays. It is administered by a consortium of its 12 original lotteries, the drawings are held at the studios of WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, supervised by the Georgia Lottery. The hosts are Carol Blackmon and Adria Wofford.
Under the existing version's regulations (which began April 5, 2025, with the first drawing planned for April 8) for Mega Millions, the minimum Mega Millions advertised jackpot is $50 million, paid in 30 graduated yearly installments, increasing 5% each year (unless the cash option is chosen). The jackpot increases when no top-prize winner results.
Reflecting common practice among American lotteries, the jackpot is advertised as a nominal value of annual installments. A cash-value option (the usual choice), when chosen by a jackpot winner, pays the approximate present value of the installments. Mega Millions' previous format began on October 28, 2017; its first drawing was three days later. In the existing version of Mega Millions, five white balls are drawn from a pool of 70, and one gold-colored "MegaBall" is drawn from a separate pool of 24; a player must match all six numbers to win the jackpot.
Each game costs $5 (previously $2). Each game includes a multiplier known as the "Megaplier", where the base non-jackpot prize is multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10. The Megaplier was made available to all Mega Millions jurisdictions in January 2011 as an add-on which cost an extra $1 per play; it began as an option available only in Texas. Several of the game's members[which?] offered an only-the-jackpot option, in which two plays cost $3. None of the lower-tier prizes are in play on such a wager.
On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in American lottery jurisdictions, with the two groups referred to as the "Mega Power Lottery" by many users. The expansion occurred on January 31, 2010, as 23 Powerball members began selling Mega Millions tickets for their first drawing on February 2, 2010; likewise, 10 Mega Millions members began selling Powerball tickets for their first drawing the next day. Montana (joining Mega Millions on March 1, 2010) was the first jurisdiction to add either game after the cross-sell expansion. Nebraska (March 20, 2010), Oregon (March 28, 2010), Arizona (April 18, 2010), Maine (May 9, 2010), Colorado, and South Dakota (the latter two on May 16, 2010) also have joined Mega Millions since the expansion.
As of January 2020, 47 lotteries were offering Mega Millions and Powerball, Florida joined Mega Millions in May 2013. (Puerto Rico, whose lottery began in the 1930s, does not offer Mega Millions.) Mississippi began selling lottery tickets in 2019, it joined Mega Millions on January 30, 2020.
Before the agreement, the only stores that sold Mega Millions and Powerball tickets were retailers whose businesses were on a border between jurisdictions and sold competing games.