How to Buy Mega Millions Online: Legally

Mega Millions is one of America’s biggest draw games and producer of some of the largest jackpots the world has ever seen, including one in excess of $1.5 billion.

With tickets sold in 45 states plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mega Millions is readily available to most US residents. In some states, players may even play Mega Millions online from anywhere inside state lines.

Whether purchased online, through a mobile app or in-person from an authorized retailer, Mega Millions tickets cost $2.00 per play and provide nine ways to win. Fixed prizes range from $2.00 to $5 million while the jackpot frequently dips into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Read on to learn more about where to buy Mega Millions online or in-person and for a complete overview of how the game works. Below, we will discuss mobile purchase options, rules of the game, record jackpots and more.

Where To Play Mega Millions Online

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Quick Reference

  • Ticket price: $2.00 plus optional $1.00 Megaplier feature
  • Starting jackpot: $40 million
  • Record jackpot: $1.537 billion
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 302.6 million
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 24
  • Can play Mega Millions in: 45 states, District of Columbia and US Virgin Islands
  • Mega Millions drawings: Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 PM ET

How to Buy Mega Millions Online

Lottery players can buy Mega Millions online straight from the official state lottery in some jurisdictions or through an authorized ticket courier service in others.

There are also certain offshore companies that claim to sell Mega Millions tickets online via unofficial channels, but USGambling.com advises readers to steer clear of such websites because they are unregulated and often overcharge for tickets. More importantly, the customers of unauthorized lottery providers have little recourse should the company fail to pay a winning jackpot.

States That Sell Mega Millions Tickets Online

A handful of states already sell Mega Millions tickets online and through mobile apps operated by the state lottery.

Players located in the following states may visit the official lottery website or download its mobile app to buy Mega Millions tickets from anywhere inside state lines.

Note: Residency is not required. Players who visit a state with online lottery sales may purchase Mega Millions tickets through the official website or app when physically located in that state.

StateMinimum PurchasePayment Methods
   
Georgia1 ticket / $2.00Debit card, ACH and PayPal
Illinois1 ticket / $2.00Debit or credit card
Kentucky1 ticket / $2.00Credit card, debit card or iGift/iFunds purchases made in-person at a retailer
Michigan1 ticket / $2.00Credit card, debit card, PayPal, ACH or online game card purchased in-person
New Hampshire1 ticket / $2.00Debit card, ACH and PayPal
North Carolina1 ticket / $2.00Debit card, credit card and ACH
North Dakota1 ticket / $2.00Debit card, ACH and PayPal
Pennsylvania1 ticket / $2.00Debit card, credit card, ACH, PayPal, Play+ prepaid card, PayNearMe and WebCash
Virginia1 ticket / $2.00Debit card, ACH and PayPal
Maine26 drawings (13 weeks) / $52.00Check or money order by mail
Maryland26 drawings (13 weeks) / $52.00Check or money order by mail

In Other States: Buy MegaMillions Online Using The Jackpocket Lottery App

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The Jackpocket app provides a second avenue for players in some additional states to buy Mega Millions tickets online safely and legally.

Jackpocket is a courier service headquartered in New York that purchases tickets from authorized retailers on behalf of customers. Anyone located in a state served by Jackpocket may download the app to purchase Mega Millions tickets and entries to other draw games.

When customers place an order with Jackpocket, the company purchases an actual ticket and then sends a confirmation e-mail confirming the ticket’s serial number plus a scanned image of the ticket.

Lottery tickets purchased using the Jackpocket lottery app are stored in a secure location and winnings under $600 are paid directly to the user’s account. These winnings may be withdrawn at any time.

For wins greater than $600, Jackpocket will contact the winner to securely transfer the ticket to the winner to claim the prize directly from the state lottery.

Currently, the Jackpocket lottery app offers Mega Millions online ticket sales in the following states:

  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Washington, DC

Mega Millions Rules

A standard Mega Millions ticket costs $2.00 to play.

Players may purchase the optional Megaplier feature for $1.00 to increase all non-jackpot prizes by a randomly chosen multiplier of 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x.

Some states also offer a “Just the Jackpot” option for $3.00. Players who choose this option pay $3.00 to receive two entries for the jackpot prize only.

On each ticket players choose five numbers from 1-70 that correspond to the white balls and one number from 1-25 that corresponds to the gold Mega ball.

Alternatively, players may elect to have the lottery system select their numbers at random.

Mega Millions Megaplier Feature

Players who purchase the Megaplier feature for $1.00 will have all non-jackpot prizes multiplied 2x-5x.

At the beginning of each Mega Millions drawing, the lottery selects a Megaplier ball at random from a pool of 15 balls. Five of the 15 balls are marked 2x, six are marked 3x, three are marked 4x and one is marked 5x.

As an example, if the lottery draws a 3x Megaplier ball at the beginning of the lottery, a ticket that would have paid $500 would instead pay $1,500.

Mega Millions Drawings

Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 PM ET.

Each drawing begins with the lottery drawing a Megaplier number from 2x-5x to determine the prize multiplier for all players who purchased the Megaplier feature.

Next, the lottery draws five white balls from a pool of balls labeled 1 through 70 and one gold Mega Ball from a pool of balls labeled 1 through 25.

Mega Millions Prizes

After the drawing, prizes are awarded to winning ticket holders according to the number of matches as depicted below. Prizes range from $2 for only matching the gold Mega number all the way up to the jackpot for matching all five white numbers plus the Mega number.

Winning ticketholders who purchased the Megaplier option will have all non-jackpot prizes multiplied by 2x-5x as shown below.

MatchesPrize2x3x4x5x
      
 5 and mega ballJackpotJackpotJackpotJackpotJackpot
 5 no mega ball$1,000,000$2,000,000$3,000,000$4,000,000$5,000,000
 4 and mega ball$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000
 4 no mega ball$500$1,000$1,500$2,000$2,500
3 and mega ball  $200$400$600$800$1,000
3 no mega ball $10$20$30$40$50
2 and mega ball $10$20$30$40$50
 1 and mega ball$4$8$12$16$20
 mega ball only$2$4$6$8$10