What prizes can you win playing the Mega Millions lottery?

Mega Millions is one of the most popular lotteries in the United States, especially since it was crowned with the record for the largest prize won by a single player in a lottery: $1.537 billion! Because of this, millions of players around the world buy Mega Millions tickets hoping to be the next winners.

Mega Millions is also a simple lottery to play, where you only have to pick 5 numbers from 1 to 70 and an additional number from 1 to 25, which is known as the Mega Ball. On the day of the draw, 5 balls are drawn for the first 5 numbers, and an additional ball for the Mega Ball. If your 5 numbers match the numbers drawn and you also match the Mega Ball, congratulations: you are the new Mega Millions millionaire!

However, in addition to the first prize or jackpot, the Mega Millions lottery offers additional prizes depending on how many numbers you match, so even if you don't match all the numbers, you still have a chance of winning one of these prizes.

But how much does Mega Millions pay out for 5, 4, 3, 2 or even 1 matched number? Read on - we'll tell you all about it below.

Mega Millions Prizes

Mega Millions gives away a total of 9 prizes in each draw. The first prize, also known as the jackpot, starts each time with a jackpot of $20 million, although it can continue to accumulate until there is a winner: it is therefore a variable prize that can grow without limit until someone matches all the numbers.

The rest of the Mega Millions prizes, on the other hand, are prizes with a fixed value. Moreover, unlike the first prize, which is shared between all the winners (if there are two players with the same winning combination, for example, the jackpot is divided between them), the secondary prizes do not vary according to the number of winners: all those who match the required number of numbers will win the full prize.

But how much can you win with each Mega Millions prize? It depends on how many numbers you match.

• If you match all 5 main numbers, but not the Mega Ball, you can win the second prize (5 out of 5), worth $1,000,000.
• If you only match 4 of the 5 numbers plus the Mega Ball you can win the third prize (4 + MB), worth $10,000,000.
• If you only match 4 numbers, but not the Mega Ball, you win the fourth prize (4 out of 5), worth $500.
• Matching 3 numbers plus the Mega Ball wins the fifth prize (3 + MB), which pays $200.
• With only 3 matches, but without the Mega Ball, you can win the sixth prize (3 out of 5), worth $10.
• With 2 hits plus the Mega Ball, you win the seventh prize (2 + MB), which also pays $10.
• With 1 hit plus the Mega Ball, you can win the eighth prize (1 + MB), worth $4.
• Even if you match just 1 number (the Mega Ball), you can win $2 with the ninth prize, a symbolic prize that allows you to win back a part of your stake.

In the table below, we summarise all the prizes you can win, as well as the odds of winning them:

Taking all prize categories into account, the overall probability of winning at least one of these prizes in Mega Millions is 1 in 24. This is also what makes it so popular with players all over the world: it is fairly easy to win back at least the value wagered to buy your ticket, making it a low-risk lottery compared to the number of million-dollar prizes that are possible to win.

Mega Millions Draws

Mega Millions draws twice a week: one on Tuesdays and one on Fridays, both days at 23:00 New York time (New York time). On Lottofy, you can play an individual daily draw, or subscribe to all draws with weekly bets, which will also give you access to discounts on your bets. Good luck!