How much do you win if you get 1 numbers in mega millions

The odds of hitting Friday’s $1 billion-plus Mega Millions jackpot are astronomical and the chances of winning a far smaller lottery prize are fairly low too, but that’s part of the fun of dreaming big.

The overall odds of winning something after buying a $2 Mega Millions lottery ticket are 24 to 1.

To begin with, there are two sets of Mega Millions balls. Five white balls are drawn out of a drum containing 70 balls. Then single gold Mega ball is drawn out of a second drum with 25 balls.

Players can increase their prize amounts by spending an extra $1 for the Megaplier option to win two, three, four or on rare occasions five times as much. The Megaplier only applies to non-jackpot prizes.

Friday’s $1.025 billion jackpot has a cash option of $602.5 million and is for the moment the fourth biggest in U.S. lottery history. The prize figured to climb before the drawing.

Here are the Mega Millions odds and prizes explained:

Let’s start with the small prizes.

The odds of your ticket matching only the gold Mega Ball is 37 to 1. On a single $2 ticket purchase, that’s a break even.

There’s a 1 in 89 chance your $2 gamble will net you $4 — a $2 profit.

It’s a 1 in 693 shot to buy a ticket containing two numbers and the Mega Ball but the payout is a scant $10.

These are the biggest lottery jackpots on record in the United States as of July 2022. The estimated jackpot for the upcoming Mega Millions drawing on July 29 could go even higher, depending on the volume of ticket sales.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

If your ticket matched three of the five white balls, you still win just $10. The odds of hitting three numbers, but not the Powerball are a tad better than matching two numbers plus the Mega Ball — 606 to 1.

The good news is that the prize amount has finally reached triple digits - $200. Far less encouraging are that the odds of buying a ticket matching three numbers plus the Mega Ball are 14,547 to 1.

A ticket that matches four numbers, but not Mega Ball, is one numbers away from winning serious money, but only gets you $500. It’s a 1 in 38,792 shot to be that fortunate, though. New Jersey Lottery officials said 199tickets for Tuesday’s drawing matched four numbers. Seven were purchased with the Megaplier option, multiplying the prizes to $1,500.

The prize climbs all the way to winning $10,000 if you manage to beat the roughly 931,001 to 1 odds and match four numbers plus the Mega Ball.

Seven third-prize tickets were sold in New Jersey for Tuesday’s drawing — six are valued at $10,000 and one is worth $30,000.

The life-changing money begins at this prize level. All you have to do to win at least $1 million is match the numbers on the five white balls drawn, but not the Mega Ball. Good luck overcoming the 12,607,306 to 1 odds, though.

Two lottery players in New Jersey beat those odds for Tuesday’s drawing — one Tenafly and one on in Point Pleasant and won $1 million apiece.

The dream for any lottery player is hitting the jackpot. The odds of buying a ticket that matches all five numbers and the Mega Millions are a ridiculous 302,575,350 to 1.

A New Jersey player last hit the Mega Millions jackpot on July 24, 2020 when someone who bought a ticket in Bayonne won $123 million. The cash option was $100.1 million. Winners in New Jersey have had the option to remain anonymous since January 2020 so the lucky ticket-holder’s identity has never been publicly revealed.

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How to Play
Mega Millions®

Mega Millions is a multi-state game. The minimum Jackpot is $20 million.  Jackpot increases for each game will be determined based on sales in the current environment.

CLICK HERE for the Official Mega Millions website. 

DRAWING TIME:
Drawings occur Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM

On drawing nights, wagering closes at 10:45 PM and reopens at 11:15 PM.

Click here for Drawing Schedule

• Mega Millions costs $2 per wager. The Megaplier® feature costs an additional $1 per wager—it can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times!
• Fill in a Mega Millions playslip by choosing 5 different "white" ball numbers from 1 to 70, and one "yellow" Mega Ball number from 1 to 25. Or, ask for a Mega Millions “Quick Pick” and let the Lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.
• The jackpot is won by matching all 6 numbers drawn.  Besides the jackpot, there are eight other ways to win prizes in the game.
• Mega Millions tickets cannot be voided; once printed there is no way to cancel them. Please be sure to check your ticket carefully after purchasing to make sure it is what you requested.
• CLICK HERE to check if your Mega Millions numbers have ever been drawn.

• ADVANCE ACTION: Buy tickets for future Mega Millions drawings with the ADVANCE ACTION option. Play up to 26 consecutive drawings in advance. Get 26 ADVANCE ACTION plays for the price of 25. When playing ADVANCE ACTION, fill out only one board (set of numbers) per playslip. (i.e. To play four sets of numbers in advance, fill out four separate playslips.)
  
• REPLAY:  To play your numbers again, hand the Lottery Retailer your existing Mega Millions ticket and ask for a REPLAY.  You will get a new Mega Millions ticket with the same numbers and wager amount. Your new ticket will have the REPLAY “R” printed on it.

Prizes and Odds

MEGA MILLIONS® WITHOUT MEGAPLIER®, $2 WAGER

MEGA MILLIONS® WITH MEGAPLIER®, $3 WAGER

Megaplier® Number Probability: 2= 33.33%, 3=40%, 4=20%, 5=6.67%

Overall odds are 1 in 24.0. Jackpot odds are 1 in 302,575,350.

Official Mega Millions® Game Rules (Effective August 11, 2022)
Official Mega Millions® Game Rules (Through August 10, 2022)

Check My Numbers

MEGA MILLIONS® WINNING NUMBERS

Click Payouts "View" to see the prize value for this match.
To see all winning numbers, click here. See Terms and Conditions.
Draw game prizes expire 180 calendar days from the draw date.

Click the arrow to expand results.

Mega Millions is drawn at 11:00 PM on Tuesday and Friday evenings. The drawings are held at the studios of WSB-TV in Atlanta, GA (supervised by the Georgia Lottery), and televised on WCCT-TV in Hartford, CT.  To view a drawing after the drawing has occurred CLICK HERE.

On drawing nights (Tuesday and Friday), wagering closes at 10:45 PM and reopens at 11:15 PM.

Using a play slip saves time and will ensure that the numbers you selected are the ones played.  A play slip can produce up to 5 plays at $2 per play for a regular Mega Millions ticket, and $3 per play for Megaplier tickets. 

Megaplier is an add-on feature that costs $1 more per wager. The Megaplier can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times. The multiplier number is randomly selected just before each drawing.  

Yes, just ask for a Quick Pick ticket.

Mega Millions tickets cannot be cancelled; once printed there is no way to cancel it. Please be sure to check your ticket carefully after purchasing to make sure it is what you requested.

Yes, tickets can be purchased up to 26 consecutive drawings in advance. Simply select the ADVANCE ACTION box on the play slip or ask the Lottery Retailer for Advance Action at the time of purchase.  Get 26 Advance Action plays for the price of 25. When playing Advance Action, fill our only one board (set of numbers) per playslip. (i.e. To play four set of numbers in advance, fill out four separate playslips.)

The overall odds of winning are 1 in 24.0. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

While it may appear that the odds of matching the Mega Ball should be 1 in 15 (as there are only 15 numbers possible to match), that is not the case. The odds of matching ONLY the Mega Ball number is a combination of two probabilities:

1. Not matching any white ball numbers, and,

2. Matching only the Mega Ball.

When the math equations for both those probabilities are completed, the odds for matching the only the Mega Ball are 1 in 21.

No, as long as you have the winning numbers printed on your ticket in a single row, it does not matter what order they are drawn. However, you do have to match the Mega Ball number exactly.

You do not have to wait to cash in a winning Mega Millions ticket when you play Advance Action. To claim your prize, present your ticket to any Lottery Retailer. They will cash your ticket, and give you an Exchange Ticket in place of your original ticket. Your Exchange Ticket will be valid for the remaining number of active drawings on the ticket.

The annuitized jackpot prize is pari-mutuel. If you are the only winner, you will receive the entire first prize pool. If you are one of several winners, you will receive one share of the first prize pool.  You have 60 calendar days from the time you present your winning ticket for claim at Lottery Headquarters to decide whether you want your prize paid as an "Annuity" or a "Cash Lump Sum" payout.  (Winners who do not make a choice will automatically receive the Annuity payout option.)  The Cash Lump Sum option is a one-time payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.  Select the "Annuity" option, and receive your jackpot prize in one immediate payment and annual graduated payments for 29 years.

In the event of a winner's death, the Lottery pays any remaining payments to the winner's estate or beneficiary as directed by court order or other governing document.  For more information, please consult with your legal counsel.

The Mega Millions jackpot prize is pari-mutuel. 
If you are the only winner, you will receive the entire first prize pool. If you are one of several winners, you will receive one share of the first prize pool.

Choose your Mega Millions jackpot prize payout.
You have 60 calendar days from the time you present your winning ticket for claim at Lottery Headquarters to decide whether you want your prize paid as an "Annuity" or a "Cash Lump Sum" payout.  (Winners who do not make a choice will automatically receive the Annuity payout option.)  Select the Annuity option and receive your jackpot prize in one immediate payment and annual payments for 29 years. Select the Cash Lump Sum payout and you will receive your prize in a one-time payment.

No, all winning tickets must be redeemed in the state/jurisdiction in which they are sold.