How to Play US Mega Millions
To play Mega Millions and have a chance at winning:
- Choose 5 numbers from a pool of 70
- Pick 1 Mega Ball in the range from 1 to 24
To win the jackpot, you need to match the 5 Mega Millions numbers and the Mega Ball for the particular draw. The minimum guaranteed jackpot is 50 million, and it grows by a minimum of 5 million dollars each time the jackpot rolls.
To win any of the US Mega Millions secondary prizes, check the prize breakdown below.
US Mega Millions - Prize Breakdown
The winning combinations and the prize amounts for US Mega Millions include the following:
| Numbers Matched | Prize Range (with 2x–10x Multiplier) |
| 5 + Bonus Ball | Jackpot |
| 5 | $2,000,000–$10,000,000 |
| 4 + Bonus Ball | $20,000–$100,000 |
| 4 | $1,000–$5,000 |
| 3 + Bonus Ball | $400–$2,000 |
| 3 | $20–$100 |
| 2 + Bonus Ball | $20–$100 |
| 1 + Bonus Ball | $10–$50 |
| Bonus Ball Only | $10–$50 |
People that win the jackpot can choose a lump sum payment (minus taxes) or annual payments for 29 years. Each next payment will be 5% bigger than the previous one.
The second prize is at least two million dollars and can go up to ten million depending on the multiplier drawn.
You win by matching at least the Mega Ball number. Matching more numbers increases the prize, and all non-jackpot prizes are automatically multiplied by 2x to 10x.
All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date.
If there is no jackpot winner, the jackpot rolls over to the next Mega Millions draw.
How the New Built-In Multiplier Works
As of April 2025, the Megaplier feature has been retired. Now, every Mega Millions ticket automatically includes a random multiplier between 2x and 10x.
This multiplier applies to all non-jackpot prizes. You don’t need to pay extra or choose any additional options—every ticket benefits from this feature by default.
For example, if you match the five main numbers, your base prize is $1 million. If the 5x multiplier is drawn, your payout becomes $5 million. The multiplier drawn applies to all non-jackpot prizes for that drawing.
Interesting Facts about the US Mega Millions
1. Originally, Mega Millions carried another name—the Big Game. It was launched back in 1996, and the name change occurred in 2002.
2. The biggest Mega Millions jackpot to date is $1.602 billion. It was won by a single ticket on August 8, 2023. The luckiest Mega Millions ticket ever was sold in Florida.
3. The second-largest jackpot is $1.537 billion, won on October 23, 2018, by a single ticket in South Carolina.
4. The first drawing under the name Mega Millions took place on May 17, 2002, and a jackpot of $28 million was won by a ticket purchased in Illinois. The winning numbers were 15-18-25-33-47, and the Mega Ball was 30.
5. As surprising as it may seem, approximately one billion dollars in Mega Millions prizes have gone unclaimed. In one case, a winning ticket worth $99 million was never redeemed.
6. On Tuesday, October 31, 2017, Mega Millions introduced major rule changes: the ticket price increased to $2, starting jackpots were raised, and the odds for the second-tier $1 million prize improved.
7. On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Mega Millions underwent its biggest upgrade yet. The ticket price increased to $5, a built-in multiplier feature (2x–10x) was added for all non-jackpot prizes, and the starting jackpot was raised to $50 million. The odds of winning the jackpot also improved from 1 in 302,575,350 to 1 in 290,472,336.
