Mega Millions FAQS
All your questions about Mega Millions will be answered below. We have all the most important information, such as: How to claim your prize, the deadline to purchase a ticket, how to multiply your winnings, and more!
Mega Millions draws take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM ET.
In New Jersey, you must buy your Mega Millions ticket at least 15 minutes before the draw, so that's 10:45 PM ET on Tuesdays and Fridays. Any tickets purchased after this cutoff are automatically entered into the next applicable drawing.
First things first, you will have to pick five different numbers from 1 to 70 and choose one Mega Ball from 1-24 (which is drawn from a different ball set to the main numbers). The Multiplier feature is also included within the ticket cost and can multiply your winnings. Go to our How to Play page to learn more!
The Multiplier option is an automatic feature that multiplies any non-jackpot winnings by a weighted random amount. It will boost your winnings by either 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times depending on the Multiplier number drawn.
Yes! In New Jersey you can use the MultiDraw field on your playslip to play your numbers in up to eight consecutive Mega Millions draws.
A single Mega Millions ticket costs $5, which automatically includes the Multiplier feature. There is room on each payslip for five plays.
The Mega Millions jackpot starts at $50 million and rolls over for every drawing that nobody wins it - the jackpot has risen as high as $1.6 billion before. Visit our Winners page to check some of the biggest New Jersey lottery winners.
The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 23.07. However, the chances of winning the jackpot with a single ticket are 1 in 290,472,336. Visit our Odds and Prizes page for a full breakdown.
There are nine different prizes you can win in Mega Millions. Matching all five numbers plus the Mega Ball will land you the jackpot! Remember, all non-jackpot prizes can also be boosted with the automatic Multiplier feature, which means even the lowest prize payout is $10 - double the ticket cost.
You have to be at least 18 years old to play Mega Millions in New Jersey, or any lottery for that matter.
You can cash in any prizes under $600 at a local New Jersey lottery retailer. For prizes over $600, you must file a claim form with the New Jersey Lottery. Visit our How to Claim page for more info.
New Jersey winners have one year from the date of the draw to claim their prize. After this, the ticket will expire and can no longer be redeemed.
Yes, New Jersey law allows its biggest winners to remain anonymous if they so wish.