Mega Millions

In Arizona:

• Minimum age to play Mega Millions is 18.
• All prize winnings are subject to federal tax and, in most states, they are subject to state taxes as well.
• All winners will share the jackpot prize equally (first come, first serve doesn’t apply here!)
• You have 180 days to claim your winnings in Arizona. After that, your ticket will expire and your winnings will be forfeited.
• You have 60 days after claiming your winnings to decide whether you want your winning in one lump sum cash or in an annuity. After 60 days, your prize will be paid as an annuity.

In Idaho:

• You must be at least 18 years old to sell, buy, or redeem lottery tickets.
• You have 180 days to claim your winnings in Idaho. After that, your ticket will expire and your winnings will be forfeited.
• You have 60 days after claiming your winnings to decide whether you want your winnings in one lump sum cash or in an annuity. After 60 days, your prize will be paid as an annuity.
• Jackpot is Peri-Mutuel and winnings will be divided equally if there is more than one jackpot winner.
• Winners are responsible for the safekeeping of their winning ticket because it is the only valid document proving that they are the winner.
• By purchasing a lottery ticket, players are agreeing to be bound by all Idaho lottery rules and regulations.
• By purchasing a lottery ticket in Idaho, players are granting the Idaho Lottery use of the winner's name, city, county, state of residence, prize amount, and photograph to publicize their winnings.

In Indiana:

• Players must be 18 years old to purchase or redeem their lottery tickets.
• Players are responsible for any mistakes in their Playslip. If there are any, the ticket will not be canceled because all sales are final. Therefore, always double-check your tickets!
• Winners can prove their winning only by showing their lottery ticket. No other document, not even the Playslip, is a valid document to prove you are a winner!
• In Indiana, you have a deadline of 180 days to claim your winnings. After the deadline, your winnings will be forfeited.

In Minnesota:

• In Minnesota, you need to be at least 18 years old to play the lottery.
• Players are responsible for the accuracy of their lottery tickets, not the retailer. Even if there are any mistakes on the lottery ticket, it can’t be canceled because all sales are final. Players are advised to double-check their Playslip before handing it over to the lottery retailer clerk.
• In Minnesota, you have a 360-day window to claim your winnings. If the last day of the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, a claim must be submitted by the close of business the following business day.
• By purchasing a lottery ticket in Minnesota, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of sole discretions of the lottery.

In Missouri:

• Players must be 18 years or above to purchase Mega Millions lottery tickets in Missouri.
• In case of any discrepancy, officially drawn numbers prevail over any other number posted over the website.
• Each player is responsible for checking his/her ticket to make sure that it represents the correct game, draw date, numbers requested, visible barcode and serial number.
• Players must claim their winnings within the 180 days of the results. Purchased tickets are valid through the printed dates only.
• Rules and regulations of the Missouri lottery ticket apply to every ticket sold or purchased, transactions and winners as well.
• Mega Million lottery ticket is a bearer instrument, so you’re recommended to sign the back of your ticket right away. Tickets are the sole proof of your win; no other document or Playslip can be represented to claim your win.
• In Missouri, the player is liable for a stolen, unissued, illegal, misplaced, mutilated, altered, defective, incomplete, incorrect, misregistered, multiple printed or any other issue, not the Missouri lottery authority. Their liability is limited to refund the sales price or replacement of the tickets only.

In New Hampshire

• The minimum legal age to play Mega Millions in New Hampshire is 18 years old.
• Use a pencil or black pen to mark the numbers over the Playslip. In case you make an error, mark the Void box for that play but DO NOT ERASE.
• The ticket is valid for 366 days and this can be extended if the last day falls on a Saturday or Sunday or any legal holiday.
• Double-check your ticket for correct numbers and dates as you are responsible for the accuracy of your ticket, not the retailer or state lottery.
• Sign the back of your ticket to represent the ownership. Once you sign the ticket, you can’t redeem a prize under a trust name; therefore, your name will be public if you are a lottery winner.

In Ohio:

• In Ohio, all tickets are subjected to validation under procedures to be established by the director before the payment of any winning cash prize.
• The customer/player is responsible for the accuracy of the ticket including numbers, dates, bet amount, wager type, etc, before leaving the retailer. The selling retailer can correct the mistake if you ask for the correction before leaving the store.
• The legal age to play Mega Million in Ohio is 18 years old.
• You have 180 days to claim your winnings. Winners are not rewarded after their winning ticket expires!

In Texas

• The legal age to play Mega Millions in Texas is 18 years old.
• Winning tickets must be claimed within 180 days or else the prize is forfeited.
• The Texas Lottery Commission does not validate the ticket unless it is presented for payment and meets the Commission’s validation requirements.
• Claims arising from Mega Millions in Texas are subjected to laws, rules, regulations, protocols, procedures and final decision of the Executive Director of Texas lottery.

In Virginia

• You have to claim your prize within 180 days after the draw.
• You need to be at least 18 years old to purchase the ticket.
• Virginia Lottery is subjected to Virginia Government and by purchasing a lottery ticket you adhere to Va. Code § 2.2-3800, et seq. (Virginia Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act). Provision of tax identification and social security number of the player is voluntary.
• Virginia Lottery reserves the right to use player information (name, address, city, state, etc) for promotional, investigation and administrative purposes.
• Tickets cannot be canceled as all sales are final. Therefore, always double-check your tickets!
• Check for the accuracy of your ticket including lottery numbers, dates, the play option you prefer, and so on. The lottery retailer is not responsible for any mistakes.

In Wisconsin

• Tickets are valid for the time period of 180 days after the draw. After that, you can’t claim your winning prize.
• You need to be at least 18 years old to purchase a ticket.
• Tickets can only be claimed under the name of a single human being. No for-profit or non-profit trusts, entities, and other non-human beings can claim cash prizes.
• Wisconsin Lottery reserves the right to use the information of player (name, address, city, state, etc) for promotional, investigation and administrative purposes.
• Check your Playslip carefully for the mistakes. If there are any mistakes, mark the VOID box. Ticket sales are final and cannot be canceled. You can mark a new selection using the next column of panels.

Mega Millions actually began as “The Big Game” in August 1996. Initially, the lottery started off with only six states, namely, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia, and soon gathered popularity all over the U.S.A. Today, almost every jurisdiction is an active participant in the lottery. The game has undergone changes twice, to the ‘The Big Game Mega Millions’ in 2002 and to what it is known today, ‘Mega Millions’ in 2005.

The Changes of 2012

Mega Millions made history on March 30, 2012, with the world’s largest prize in any jackpot game till that date with a sum of $656 million. This Lottery Jackpot Prize record stood for almost four years until it was overtaken by a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016. Mega Millions joined this billion-dollar club on October 23, 2018, with whopping prize money of $1.537 billion. It was the world’s largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket, sold in South Carolina with just one winning ticket in the drawing.

Mega Millions relaunched itself with a new matrix on October 19, 2013, and became the first in the Jackpot game to offer second-tier prizes of up to $5 Million.

The Changes of 2017

October 2017 brought some structural changes in Mega Millions and made the win to Jackpot prizes onerous while easing out the win over million-dollar prizes. These changes facilitated larger jackpots with a three-times increase of the starting jackpot.

The 2017 reforms also raised the prices of tickets from $1 per play to $2 per play, and the Megaplier for $3 per play. It also included the drop in the number of white balls, from 75 to 70 that requires matching in any order. And offers 25 numbers to choose for the Mega Ball instead of 15 which is the required ball to win a jackpot. Even the starting jackpot was increased from $15 million to $40 million. The game also came up with an innovative ‘Just The Jackpot’ wagers and increased some of the non-jackpot payouts for its players.

• Game type: Draw game
• Game Format: 5/70 and 1/25.
• Game availability: In 45 jurisdictions including District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Not available in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
• Game draw days and time: Twice a week on every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM ET.
• Minimum jackpot amount: $20 million.
• Minimum cash prize: $2.

• Minimum age to play: 18 or 20 (in some jurisdictions)
• Jackpot odds: 1 in 302,575,350.
• Overall odds: 1 in 24
• Game add-on option: Megaplier and Just the Jackpot.
• Ticket cost: $2 per play an $1 extra for add-on bets.
• Jackpot payment options: Lump-sum or annuity.
• Lottery operator: Multi-state Lottery Association (MUSL)