Mega Millions

Mega Millions (which began as The Big Game in 1996, which the renamed to The Big Game Mega Millions 6 years later) is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery game; it is offered in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 1st (The Big Game) Mega Millions drawing was in 2002 (see below.)

The minimum Mega Millions advertised jackpot is $15 million, paid in 30 graduated yearly installments, increasing 5% each year (unless the cash option is chosen; see below for differences by lotteries on cash/annuity choice regulations.) The jackpot increases when there is no top-prize winner (see below for information on how the Mega Millions jackpot is funded.)

Reflecting common practice among American lotteries, the jackpot is advertised as a nominal value of annual installments. A cash value option (the usual choice), when chosen by a jackpot winner, pays the approximate present value of the installments. Mega Millions' current format began on October 19, 2013; its first drawing was October 22. Mega Millions uses a 5/75 (for the white balls) plus 1/15 (for the "Mega Ball") double matrix to select its winning numbers.

Each game costs $1. Of the 46 Mega Millions jurisdictions, all but California offer an option, called Megaplier (plays with the Megaplier are $2 each) where non-jackpot prizes are multiplied by 2, 3, 4, or 5. The Megaplier was made available to all Mega Millions jurisdictions in Jan 2011; it began as an option available only in Texas. Mega Millions is drawn at 11p.m. Eastern Time on Tue and Fri evenings, including holidays. Mega Millions is administered by a consortium of its 12 original lotteries; the drawings are held at the studios of ABC affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, supervised by the Georgia Lottery.

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