Mega Millions
Mega Millions 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 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 John Crow, Carol Blackmon, and Adria Wofford.
Under the existing version's regulations for Mega Millions, the minimum Mega Millions advertised jackpot is $50 million, paid in 30 graduated yearly installments, increasing 5% each year. 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, 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. 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 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.
The 2010 expansion of Mega Millions and Powerball
On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and Multi-State Lottery Association 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 was the first jurisdiction to add either game after the cross-sell expansion. Nebraska, Oregon, Arizona, Maine, Colorado, and South Dakota 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. 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.
The existing Mega Millions format began in April 2025. Plays are $5 per game. Each game has an attached, randomly-generated value known as the Megaplier, which multiplies nonjackpot prizes. Multipliers are 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10. The Megaplier is not available on Just the Jackpot wagers.
Active Mega Millions members
Mega Millions and Powerball
, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah do not sell lottery tickets. In 2013, Wyoming became the 44th state to establish a lottery, the next year, it began, initially offering both Mega Millions and Powerball. In August 2018, a bill establishing a lottery in Mississippi was passed, and sent to its governor for his signature, its lottery began November 25, 2019, with Mississippi joining Mega Millions on January 30, 2020.In most cases, a lottery joining Mega Millions on or after January 31, 2010, offered Powerball before the MUSL cross-sell expansion.
History
The Big Game
Tickets for The Big Game began to be sold in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia on August 31, 1996. The Big Game was created and designed by Michigan Lottery Commissioner Bill Martin and Illinois Lottery Director Desiree Rogers after having discussions regarding a multistate game with lottery directors Rebecca Paul of the Georgia Lottery and Penelope W. Kyle of the Virginia Lottery. The Big Game initially was drawn weekly, on Friday.The Georgia Lottery was a member of MUSL at the time and wanted to sell both games for the remainder of 1996, but within a few days, Georgia was forcibly removed from MUSL, returning with the 2010 cross-selling expansion.
Beginning in January 1999, jackpot winners were given the option to receive their prize in cash. In May 1999, New Jersey joined The Big Game, the only jurisdiction to enter as a participant before The Big Game became Mega Millions in 2002.
The Big Game Mega Millions
Ohio and New York joined The Big Game consortium on May 15, 2002, when the game was renamed The Big Game Mega Millions, temporarily retaining the old name and the original "gold ball" logo. The "Big Money Ball" became the "Mega Ball". While the game's name was altered, the yellow ball in the new Mega Millions logo continued to read "The Big Game" until February 2003, after which it was replaced with six stars representing the original members of the consortium. The first Mega Millions drawing was held two days later, on May 17. The Mega Millions trademark is owned by the Illinois Lottery. The first three lotteries to join Mega Millions were Washington, Texas, and California, California was the last addition to Mega Millions before the cross-sell expansion of 2010. Montana joined Mega Millions on March 1, 2010, the first addition to Mega Millions after the cross-sell expansion.When Texas joined Mega Millions in 2003, it began offering an option, initially available only to Texas Lottery players, known as the Megaplier, which was similar to Powerball's Power Play. The 11 Mega Millions lotteries without Megaplier on the January 31, 2010, cross-selling date gradually added the multiplier option, by January 2011, all Mega Millions lotteries, except for California, offered the Megaplier. The Texas Lottery owns the trademark to Megaplier.
On June 24, 2005, to commemorate California joining Mega Millions, that night's drawing was held in Hollywood, with Carrie Underwood assisting host Glenn Burns for the draw.
For the November 15, 2005, drawing, a group called "The Lucky 7" held the only jackpot-winning ticket, purchased in Anaheim, California, winning $315 million. They chose the cash option, splitting $175 million before tax was withheld.
On March 6, 2007, the Mega Millions jackpot reached $390 million, which was then the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history. The jackpot was shared by two tickets, both matching the numbers of 16–22–29–39–42 and Mega Ball 20. Both winners chose the cash option, with each share $116,557,083 before tax was withheld.
2010 cross-sell expansion
The New Jersey Lottery, among others, in early 2009 announced it would seek permission to sell Powerball tickets alongside Mega Millions. In October 2009, an agreement between Mega Millions and MUSL allowed all U.S. lotteries, including New Jersey's, to offer both games. On January 31, 2010, Mega Millions expanded to include the 23 MUSL members; as of that date, 35 jurisdictions were participating in Mega Millions. On the same day, 10 existing Mega Millions-participating lotteries began selling Powerball tickets. Ohio joined Powerball on April 16, 2010. On March 1, 2010, Montana became the first MUSL member to add Mega Millions after the cross-sell expansion. Nebraska became the 37th Mega Millions participating member on March 20, 2010, followed by Oregon as the 38th member on March 28, Arizona as the 39th member on April 18, and Maine as 40th Mega Millions participant on May 9, 2010. Colorado and South Dakota added Mega Millions on May 16, 2010, bringing the total to 42 jurisdictions.Recent additions to Mega Millions included the U.S. Virgin Islands, in October 2010, and Louisiana in November 2011. Florida joined Mega Millions on May 15, 2013, the first drawing to include Florida-bought tickets was two days later.
Presumably due to their experience with the Power Play option for Powerball, all 23 lotteries joining Mega Millions on January 31, 2010, immediately offered Megaplier to their players. The Megaplier continues to be drawn by Texas Lottery computers, as California does not offer the multiplier. Montana, offering Powerball before the expansion date, became the 24th lottery to offer the Megaplier, followed by Nebraska, Oregon, Arizona and Maine. After Colorado and South Dakota joined Mega Millions, the number of lotteries offering the Megaplier rose to 37.
Mega Millions tickets bought with the Megaplier option, beginning September 12, 2010, automatically won $1 million if the five white balls – but excluding the Mega Ball – are matched.
On March 13, 2010, New Jersey became the first Mega Millions participant to produce a jackpot-winning ticket for Powerball after joining that game. The ticket was worth over $211 million annuity. On May 28, 2010, North Carolina became the first Powerball member to produce a jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket after joining Mega Millions, with an annuity jackpot of $12 million.
In January 2012, Mega Millions' rival Powerball was altered, among the changes were a price increase of $1 for each play, as a result, a base game costs $2, or $3 with the Power Play option. The price of a Mega Millions play stayed the same until 2017. The price increase for playing Powerball was a major factor in Louisiana deciding to pursue joining Mega Millions, as that state's lottery joined Mega Millions on November 16, 2011.