With one of the biggest lottery jackpot ever scooped by a single ticket in the world, the Mega Millions lottery has nothing to envy from any other lotto game.The jackpot starts at USD 20 Million and already reached USD 1.602 Million!
However, there are 9 prizes you can win when playing Mega Millions. See how many numbers you need to match as to win one of the Mega Millions prizes, right below:
What should you know about Mega Millions first prize?
The starting jackpot of the Mega Millions is of USD 20 Million and grows without any limit until a player matches all 6 numbers (5 main numbers + 1 Mega Ball). This is how it reached USD 1.602 Billion in the past. Indeed, every time the jackpot doesn’t see a winner, it rolls over. Only a few lotteries in the world offer jackpots with no maximum limit. No wonder the Mega Millions lottery is considered one of the biggest lotto games worldwide!
| Mega Millions prize | |
|---|---|
| Match | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 |
| Minimum amount | USD 20 Million |
| Maximum amount | Unlimited |
| Record amount | USD 1.602 Million |
The Mega Millions jackpot sees a winner when a player matches the 5 main numbers as well as the Mega Ball on their ticket. Don’t worry, if you can’t get all the numbers right, you may still scoop one of Mega Millions secondary prizes.
Important notice: buy your Mega Millions ticket from an authorized retailer, in the United States. Make sure your ticket does not leave the US soil until the draw takes place! Thankfully, you can now participate to the Mega Millions online on a safe and secure platform.
What are the 9 Mega Millions prizes you can scoop?
Overall, the Mega Millions lottery offers a jackpot + 8 secondary prizes that you can scoop by guessing a minimum of 2 main numbers. The jackpot is players’ main goal as it offers life-changing amounts but did you know that the second prize offers USD 1 Million?! Moreover, if you ticked the Megaplier option when purchasing your ticket and scooped the 2nd prize, you could multiply that million by up to 5 times! See all Mega Millions prizes in the table below:
| Prize Division | Match | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | Jackpot |
| 2nd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ | USD 1 Million |
| 3rd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | USD 10,000 |
| 4th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ | USD 500 |
| 5th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ | USD 200 |
| 6th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ | USD 10 |
| 7th Prize | ⚪⚪ + 🔴 | USD 10 |
| 8th Prize | ⚪ + 🔴 | USD 4 |
| 9th Prize | 🔴 | USD 2 |
What are the odds of winning each Mega Millions prize?
You have a chance in 302,575,350 to scoop Mega Millions’ 1st prize. It may seem like difficult odds to beat, but keep in mind that there are a lot of Mega Millions winners that “beat those odds”!
The overall odds of winning a Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24 and your odds to scoop the last prize (9th division) is of 1:36.
See all the Mega Millions odds in the table below:
| Prize Division | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Prize | Jackpot | 1 : 302,575,350 |
| 2nd Prize | USD 1,000,000 | 1 : 12,607,306 |
| 3rd Prize | USD 10,000 | 1 : 931,001 |
| 4th Prize | USD 500 | 1 : 38,792 |
| 5th Prize | USD 200 | 1 : 14,547 |
| 6th Prize | USD 10 | 1 : 693 |
| 7th Prize | USD 10 | 1 : 606 |
| 8th Prize | USD 4 | 1 : 89 |
| 9th Prize | USD 2 | 1 : 36 |
What are your payment options when claiming a Mega Millions prize?
Jackpot winners have 2 options when claiming their Mega Millions jackpot:
- cash option: this is a one-time, lump-sum payment
- annuity option: is paid in 30 yearly installments. Each annuity payment being 5% higher than in the previous year to adjust for inflation.
When you win any of the 8 secondary Mega Millions prizes, the cash option will be your only payout option.
What Mega Millions prizes can you boost with the Megaplier?
If you guess the 5 main numbers, without guessing the Mega Ball, you can still become a millionaire with the Mega Millions lottery thanks to the Million up for grabs as Mega Millions second prize.
You can double, triple, quadruple or quintuple this amount if you ticked the Megaplier option when purchasing your American lotto ticket…
In order to better understand what you can win with the Megaplier option, here is an explanatory table of the Mega Millions winnings, and how they can increase with the Megaplier:
| Prize | Megaplier x2 | Megaplier x5 |
|---|---|---|
| Jackpot | Jackpot | Jackpot |
| USD 1 Million | USD 2 Million | USD 5 Million |
| USD 10,000 | USD 20,000 | USD 50,000 |
| USD 500 | USD 1,000 | USD 2,500 |
| USD 200 | USD 400 | USD 1,000 |
| USD 10 | USD 20 | USD 50 |
| USD 10 | USD 20 | USD 50 |
| USD 4 | USD 8 | USD 20 |
| USD 2 | USD 4 | USD 10 |
Are Mega Millions prizes taxed?
Yes, in the United States, lottery winnings are subject to taxation. Moreover, taxes are payable at the federal and state level.
To complicate things a little bit, each American state has its own taxing laws, so there are states that tax more than others. You might want to get interested into this before buying US lottery tickets.
That is not all: if you choose to play online, your winnings will be subjected to local taxation as well, according to the laws of your country of course. Find out more about Mega Millions taxing.
How can I claim my Mega Millions prize after playing online?
The prize claiming process on theLotter all depends on the amount you win. Don’t forget to check the Mega Millions results page. A smaller Mega Millions prize will be automatically and directly transferred to your account. However if you scoop the jackpot, you might have to claim the prize in person, in the lottery’s office. If that is the case, theLotter’s team will be by your side the whole time.
Mega Millions Prizes FAQ
If you guess a main number and the Mega Ball number, then you can win Mega Millions 8th prize worth USD 4. Otherwise you have to guess at least 3 main numbers without the Mega Ball to get the 6th Mega Millions prize.
The Mega Millions lottery is offering 9 prizes. You can win a prize by guessing a main number and the Mega Ball number.
You need at least a main number (1-70) and the Mega Ball number (1-25) to win a Mega Millions prize.