How to play Mega Millions?
Is your dream to win the lottery? If so, you have many different options - and Mega Millions is one of them!
What is Mega Millions?
Mega Millions is a drawing that occurs twice each week and gives players the opportunity to win a jackpot or other cash prizes. Each ticket costs $2. Every Mega Millions jackpot grows until the jackpot is won. Any Mega Millions jackpot can be won by a single individual or by multiple people.
Following the April 8, 2020 drawing, guaranteed starting jackpot amounts and minimum jackpot increases will be eliminated, and future jackpot increases will be determined and announced by the Product Group prior to each drawing.In April 2020, Mega Millions announced changes to the starting jackpot amount. More information here.
When are the Mega Millions drawings?
Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Local TV stations air the drawings; check your local listings. You can also see the results of each drawing on our website. If you're not near a TV, mobile device or computer, take your ticket to any Lottery retailer — they can scan it and tell you if you've got a winner. The Lottery stops selling Mega Millions tickets at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights, so get your tickets early! Mega Millions tickets cannot be canceled, and all sales are final.
Create an account to play now!
You can open a Virginia Lottery account to play Mega Millions online, so you’ll never miss a chance to win big!
Set up a MyGameRoom account and have some fun today! Even if you don’t win, you’re still helping students in Virginia because 100 percent of the Virginia Lottery’s profits have been used to support K-12 public education since 1999.
Game play
Click for a closer view of the playslip.
- Choose your own numbers on a playslip.Pick five different numbers from 1 through 70; then select one Mega Ball number from 1 through 25.
- You can also play Easy Pick and let the computer choose your numbers.
- Use a combination of these play methods - pick some of your favorite numbers and let the computer fill in the rest.
- Each ticket costs $2.
- Mega Millions draws are held Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m.
- All prizes, except the jackpot, are fixed dollar amounts. The jackpot total is dependent on the amount of money in the draw's prize pool.
Bigger game with Megaplier
Step up your game with Megaplier, a great add-on feature that multiplies a non-jackpot prize by 2, 3, 4 or 5! Megaplier can increase your winnings up to $5,000,000! Add Megaplier to any Mega Millions ticket for $1 per play. The Megaplier number is randomly drawn before each Mega Millions draw show - so it won't appear on your ticket when you buy it.
Play options
It's always great to have options, so mark the Optional Plays box on your playslip for any of the following:
- Want to play the same numbers for more than one draw on a single ticket? A Multi-Draw ticket lets you play up to 26 consecutive draws on one ticket. Please keep in mind that the ticket price increases for each draw you add.
- Thinking ahead to a special date? You can buy one ticket for a future draw date. It's called a Future draw. Mark the Optional Plays box on your playslip, and let the clerk know which future draw date you have in mind.
- Love those numbers so much you want them on more than one ticket? You can Repeat your play and have the same numbers printed on more than one ticket up to 20 times.
- Tell your clerk which option you want when you present your playslip. Keep in mind that playing in more than one draw increases the ticket price by the number of draws you choose.
Two chances to win per week
Mega Millions draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you play Mega Millions:
- We stop selling Mega Millions tickets at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights - so get your tickets early!
- Virginia's Mega Millions tickets cannot be canceled and all sales are final! We recommend using a playslip to ensure that your numbers are correct.
- When using optional plays, make sure you tell your clerk which option(s) you prefer – Multi- Draw, Future or Repeat.
- Any winning tickets bought in Virginia must be redeemed in Virginia.
Watch the draws
You can watch Mega Millions Draws live every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. by clicking the Winning Numbers tab at the top of the page. You can even watch them later. Draws stay on our site!
Never miss a draw
Play the easy way! Purchase multiple draws at a time to stay in the game, and select the Auto-Renewal option to make sure you never miss a draw. Forget about waiting in lines or even checking your tickets – if you win, we'll contact you! Simply click here to get started!
Get game information from Alexa!
If you download theVirginia Lottery Alexa Skill, you can ask Alexa for information about this game including recent winning numbers and more.
Legal stuff
Immediately following the drawing on April 3, 2020, the next new starting jackpot and the rate at which the jackpot increases will be established based on game sales and interest rates, with no fixed minimum amount. Subsequent jackpot amounts will be determined and announced prior to each drawing.
Need more info? Here's our official rulesfor Mega Millions!
