Mega Millions is one of the most thrilling and widely played lottery games in the United States, offering mega jackpots and multiple ways to win. From its humble beginnings in 1996 as "The Big Game" to becoming a nationwide phenomenon, Mega Millions has made history with its life-changing prizes.

Here’s a comprehensive guide on Mega Millions, including its history, how to play, prize structures, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Mega Millions at a Glance

Launch Date: August 31, 1996 (as "The Big Game")
Participating Jurisdictions: 47 (45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Drawings: Held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 PM ET at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.
Starting Jackpot: Varies based on sales (announced before each drawing).
Largest Jackpot: $1.602 billion (won on August 8, 2023, in Florida).

Historic Moments in Mega Millions

The Largest Jackpots

$1.602 Billion: The record-breaking jackpot won in Florida on August 8, 2023, surpassed the previous record of $1.537 billion won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018.
$656 Million: On March 30, 2012, three winners in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland shared what was then the world’s largest jackpot.

The Growth of Mega Millions

Originally launched in six states (Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia), Mega Millions quickly expanded:

1999: New Jersey joined as the 7th member.
2002: Renamed to Mega Millions, with New York and Ohio joining.
2010: A historic agreement between Mega Millions and Powerball® brought 23 additional states into the fold, making Mega Millions a nationwide game.

How to Play Mega Millions

Choose Your Numbers
- Pick five numbers from 1 to 70 (white balls) and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25 (gold ball).
- Use a play slip or opt for Quick Pick to have numbers randomly selected for you.
Ticket Cost
- $2 per play.
- For an additional $1 per play, add the Megaplier® to multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x.
Ways to Win
- Match all six numbers to win the jackpot.
- There are nine ways to win, with prizes ranging from $2 to the jackpot.
Optional Features
- Just the Jackpot: For $3, players receive two chances to win the jackpot only (not available in all states).

Prizes and Odds

Mega Millions offers nine prize levels:

Jackpot: Match 5 white balls + 1 gold Mega Ball.
Second-Tier Prize: Match 5 white balls to win $1 million (up to $5 million with the Megaplier).
Other prizes range from $2 for matching the Mega Ball to larger payouts for matching additional numbers.

Odds of Winning the Jackpot: 1 in 302,575,350.Overall Odds of Winning Any Prize: 1 in 24.

The Megaplier

The Megaplier is an exciting feature that increases non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x for just $1 extra per play.

Before each drawing, a Megaplier number is selected from a pool of 15 balls:
- 5 balls marked with 2x.
- 6 balls marked with 3x.
- 3 balls marked with 4x.
- 1 ball marked with 5x.

Payout Options

Winners of the Mega Millions jackpot can choose between two payout options:

Annuity Option
- The jackpot is paid out as 30 payments over 29 years.
- Each payment increases by 5% annually to account for inflation and protect purchasing power.
Cash Option
- A one-time lump sum payment equal to the cash in the jackpot prize pool.

What Makes Mega Millions Unique?

Second-Tier Prizes Up to $5 Million

Mega Millions is the only U.S. lottery offering second-tier prizes as high as $5 million with the optional Megaplier.

Multiple Billion-Dollar Jackpots

Mega Millions has awarded four jackpots exceeding $1 billion, making it a standout among lottery games.

Drawing Schedule

Tuesday, Friday at 10:00 PM Central Time (GMT-6:00)

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about Kansas Mega Millions lottery game and results

What is Mega Millions

Mega Millions is a multi-state U.S. lottery available in 47 states (plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

How to play

Each ticket costs $5.
You choose five numbers from 1 to 70 (white balls), plus one “Mega Ball” from 1 to 24.
Alternatively, you can use a Quick Pick/Easy Pick option to have numbers randomly selected.

Drawing schedule

Drawings are held twice weekly: every Tuesday and Friday night.

Prizes & Multiplier — What you can win

There are nine prize tiers, ranging from small prizes all the way up to the jackpot.
To win the jackpot, you must match all five white balls + the Mega Ball.
If you match fewer numbers, you can still win smaller fixed-prize tiers (e.g. matching just the Mega Ball, or a mix of white balls + Mega Ball).
As of April 2025, each ticket now includes a random “multiplier” (2×, 3×, 4×, 5× or 10×) — if your ticket wins a non-jackpot prize, that prize will be multiplied accordingly.
Because of the multiplier, the minimum non-jackpot payout is now at least $10 (so you win more than the ticket cost).

Odds & Jackpot Growth

The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 290,472,336.
The odds of winning any prize (including small ones) are better — roughly 1 in 23.
The jackpot doesn’t have a fixed cap. If no one wins, it “rolls over” and grows — often reaching levels in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Jackpot Payout: Cash vs Annuity

If you win the jackpot, you typically have two payout options:

Cash option: a one-time lump sum payment (based on the cash pool for that drawing).
Annuity option: payments spread over 30 years — one initial payment, then 29 annual payments, each increasing by about 5% per year.

Which option you choose can affect the amount you receive (especially after taxes).

Key recent changes (2025 update)

Since April 2025, the game structure has been updated:

Ticket price raised to $5 (from previous $2).
The “built-in multiplier” replaced the old optional add-on (formerly called “Megaplier”).
The pool for the Mega Ball reduced (from 1–25 to 1–24), slightly improving jackpot odds.
Lower-tier prizes were increased, and there are no more “break-even” prizes — you always win more than the cost of the ticket when you win.

In short: how Mega Millions works

Pay $5, pick 5 numbers (1–70) + 1 Mega Ball (1–24) — or quick-pick.
Drawings twice per week.
Match all 6 numbers to win the jackpot (odds \~1 in 290M).
Even small matches can win prizes, and non-jackpot wins are boosted by a 2×–10× multiplier.
Jackpot winners can choose cash lump-sum or a 30-year annuity.

Mega Millions draws take place twice a week — every Tuesday and Friday.
The drawing occurs at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
That corresponds to 10:00 p.m. Central Time (CT), 9:00 p.m. Mountain Time (MT), and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT).

Kansas (KS) Mega Millions Winning Numbers: Latest Lottery Results

About Mega Millions