As a goodwill gesture, the Iowa Lottery is offering free plays for multi-draw Mega Million tickets
impacted by updates to the game announced April 3. To be eligible, an Iowa Lottery player must have purchased a multi-draw ticket no later
than 4 p.m. April 3 for a Mega Millions drawing held on April 7 or later. Read more »
Next Est. Jackpot On 5/26:
Cash Option: $249,800,000
About Mega Millions
How To Play
Mega Millions costs $2 per play; $3 with the Megaplier® option.
Choose 5 numbers from 1 - 70 then pick your Mega Ball number from 1 - 25.
Use a play slip to choose your own numbers or request an "easy pick" from the clerk and the
lotto terminal will choose the numbers for you. Play more than one drawing by marking the
"multi-draw" box on the play slip.
Drawings are held at 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Tickets may be purchased until 8:59 p.m.
on the evening of the drawing.
The starting jackpot and the rate at which the jackpot increases is based upon sales and interest rates,
with no fixed minimums.
Win the jackpot by matching all 5 white ball numbers and the Mega Ball®. There are nine
ways to win, so be sure to check your ticket after each drawing.
Mega Millions prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the drawing for which they were eligible.
Megaplier Option
Ask for the Megaplier with your Mega Millions purchase!
For an extra $1 Megaplier purchase you could multiply your prize from 2 to 5 times (except the jackpot).
And if you match 5 white ball numbers (regularly a $1 million prize), you could win up to $5 million**!
The Megaplier is chosen randomly at drawing time. How much a player's prize is multiplied is
determined by the Megaplier.
Prizes and Odds**
| Matched Numbers |
Prize (NO Megaplier) |
Odds |
| 5 + Mega Ball |
*Jackpot |
1 in 302,575,350 |
| 5 |
$1,000,000 |
1 in 12,607,306 |
| 4 + Mega Ball |
$10,000 |
1 in 931,001 |
| 4 |
$500 |
1 in 38,792 |
| 3 + Mega Ball |
$200 |
1 in 14,547 |
| 3 |
$10 |
1 in 606 |
| 2 + Mega Ball |
$10 |
1 in 693 |
| 1 + Mega Ball |
$4 |
1 in 89 |
| 0 + Mega Ball |
$2 |
1 in 37 |
Overall Odds: 1 in 24
If the player has elected the Megaplier option, the winning matches and the probabilities for matching
the numbers drawn stay the same. The following table shows the amounts paid to set prize winners for the
multiplier numbers drawn:
Prize Payout with Megaplier (MP) Option**
| Match |
MP = 5 |
MP = 4 |
MP = 3 |
MP = 2 |
No MP |
| 5 + Mega Ball |
*Jackpot |
*Jackpot |
*Jackpot |
*Jackpot |
*Jackpot |
| 5 |
$5,000,000 |
$4,000,000 |
$3,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
| 4 + Mega Ball |
$50,000 |
$40,000 |
$30,000 |
$20,000 |
$10,000 |
| 4 |
$2,500 |
$2,000 |
$1,500 |
$1,000 |
$500 |
| 3 + Mega Ball |
$1,000 |
$800 |
$600 |
$400 |
$200 |
| 3 |
$50 |
$40 |
$30 |
$20 |
$10 |
| 2 + Mega Ball |
$50 |
$40 |
$30 |
$20 |
$10 |
| 1 + Mega Ball |
$20 |
$16 |
$12 |
$8 |
$4 |
| 0 + Mega Ball |
$10 |
$8 |
$6 |
$4 |
$2 |
Cash Option vs. Annuity Option
When a player wins the Mega Millions jackpot, the winner may choose to receive the prize in annuity payments or may elect to take a
lump-sum payment. A player has 60 days from the date the prize is claimed to choose the "cash" option or the "annuity"
option. If the player selects the "cash" option, the prize will be a single cash payment equal to the amount available
to the lottery for the jackpot prize pool (estimated to be at least 55 percent of Mega Millions sales, but may be higher or lower
based upon the number of winners at each guaranteed prize level, as well as the funding required to meet the official advertised jackpot).
The jackpot may also be paid as an annuity of 30 payments over 29 years, and the annual payment will be increased by a rate as determined
by lottery officials. If the cost to purchase the annuity is less than $250,000, the lottery may elect to pay the prize as "cash."
History
Mega Millions began on August 31, 1996, as the Big Game. In May 2002, the multi-state game was given the new name of "Mega Millions." On January 31, 2010,
23 more state lotteries, including the Iowa Lottery, began selling Mega Millions. In October 2017, the game was revamped with a larger starting jackpot, improved odds
for winning a $1 million second prize and a $2 ticket price. The largest Mega Millions jackpot to date was a $1.537 billion prize won in South Carolina in October 2018.
* The jackpot prize will be divided equally among multiple winners based on the amount available
to the lottery for the jackpot prize pool. The prize pool is estimated to be 55% of Mega Millions sales, but
may be higher or lower based upon the number of winners at each guaranteed prize level, as well as the funding
required to meet the official advertised jackpot. The official Mega Millions grand prize annuity amount is subject
to change based on sales forecasts and/or actual sales.
**The set prize amounts published here are based on the expected number of winners sharing in the
prize pool. For any drawing, if prize liability exceeds the percentage of the prize pool allocated to the set
prize levels, then all prizes except the jackpot prize may become pari-mutuel and will be lower than these prize
levels.
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