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| Category | Match | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| (5 + MB) | 5 numbers + 1 special | 1 / 290,472,336 |
| (5) | 5 numbers | 1 / 12,629,232 |
| (4 + MB) | 4 numbers + 1 special | 1 / 893,761 |
| (4) | 4 numbers | 1 / 38,859 |
| (3 + MB) | 3 numbers + 1 special | 1 / 13,965 |
| (3) | 3 numbers | 1 / 607 |
| (2 + MB) | 2 numbers + 1 special | 1 / 665 |
| (1 + 1) | 1 number + 1 special | 1 / 86 |
| (Mega Ball) | 1 / 35 |
Mega Millions is a number draw where players select 5 numbers from 1 to 70.
Draws take place every Tuesday and Friday.
The game offers 9 different prize tiers, from the jackpot down to smaller prizes.
With Lottofy you can bet on the world's biggest lotteries based on their official results — pick your lucky numbers and enjoy the thrill of international draws in a simple, fast and convenient way, wherever you are.
Mega Millions is one of the most popular and iconic lottery games in the United States — and alongside Powerball, one of the two biggest American lotteries played by millions of people around the world. Draws are held in Atlanta, Georgia, and the game is available across 45 states plus Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
Each Mega Millions entry consists of selecting 5 main numbers from 1 to 70, plus one separate Mega Ball number from 1 to 24. Those six numbers determine whether you win one of the game's 9 prize categories — and with two draws every week, there is always another chance to win just around the corner.
At Lottofy you can buy your Mega Millions bet quickly, securely and entirely online. As well as the classic single bet, Lottofy offers exclusive play modes — including multiple bets with formulas and Share50 — that give you smarter, more flexible ways to chase those life-changing jackpots.
How to Bet on Mega Millions: Bet Types
Lottofy gives you two main ways to play Mega Millions: the single bet, the classic and most straightforward option, and the multiple bet, designed for players who want to cover more combinations with a single bet.
Single Bet
The single bet is the traditional way to play Mega Millions. In one bet you can include between 1 and 5 independent entries. For each entry you select 5 main numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 24 in a separate panel. Every panel is a separate bet on the official draw, with its own combination and its own chance of winning across all 9 prize categories.
It is the most direct way to play Mega Millions and the natural starting point for first-time players.
Multiple Bet: More Combinations, More Chances
The multiple bet takes your play further. Rather than being limited to 5 main numbers per panel, you can select 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 main numbers (and even more when using formula play) in a single entry. The system automatically generates every possible 5-number combination from your selection, covering a far wider spread of the draw in one go.
The more main numbers you choose, the more combinations are generated — and the greater your overall chance of landing a prize in one of the 9 categories.
The Mega Ball number applies to all generated combinations, giving every line a full chance across all prize tiers, including the jackpot.
Two Ways to Place a Multiple Bet
Once you have chosen your multiple combination, you have two options:
Multiple bet — straight play Every combination generated by your number selection is a separate bet on the official draw. This is the maximum-coverage option: you're paid the prize of every winning combination.
Multiple bet — formula play (exclusive to Lottofy) Formula play is one of Lottofy's most powerful and distinctive features. Formulas are mathematical algorithms that intelligently select a subset of all possible combinations from your chosen numbers, reducing the total number of bets required — not at random, but whilst maintaining a coverage percentage that you define yourself.
The result: you play a multiple with significantly fewer bets than straight play, keep high prize odds, and lower the overall cost of your bet. It is the most cost-efficient way to play Mega Millions multiples — and it is available exclusively through Lottofy.
The Mega Ball
In addition to the 5 main numbers, every Mega Millions entry requires one Mega Ball number from 1 to 24, drawn from a completely separate drum. This number combines with your main numbers to determine which of the 9 prize categories you fall into. Matching the Mega Ball alone — without matching any main numbers — is enough to win a prize, making it the key that unlocks the game's lower prize tiers and significantly improves your overall odds of winning something.
The Mega Millions Jackpot
Every Mega Millions jackpot starts at $50 million. When no player matches all 5 main numbers plus the Mega Ball, the jackpot rolls over and keeps growing with every draw, with no upper limit on the number of rollovers.
This built-in growth mechanism means Mega Millions jackpots can climb rapidly into the hundreds of millions — and beyond. Mega Millions holds one of the largest jackpots ever awarded in lottery history, with a prize of $1.537 billion paid out in October 2018, and a $1.602 billion jackpot in August 2023. These are figures that illustrate just how high the stakes can go when the jackpot keeps rolling.
There is no maximum jackpot cap in Mega Millions — the prize simply keeps growing until someone wins. Every rollover is a new opportunity for the draw to make history.
Tuesday and Friday Draws
Mega Millions holds two draws every week: one on Tuesday and one on Friday, both drawn in Atlanta, Georgia. Both draws are identical in rules, prize structure and gameplay. You can choose to enter one or both draws per week, or select the weekly option to have your combinations active in both draws — doubling your chances of winning each week.
Choose How Many Weeks Your Bet Runs
At Lottofy you can schedule your Mega Millions entries for between 1 and 52 consecutive weeks with the same combinations. Playing multiple weeks at once brings clear advantages:
Your combinations are locked in without needing to revisit your purchase before each draw.
You avoid payment disruptions such as card expiry or other unexpected issues.
You can unlock discounts — the more weeks you choose in a single cycle, the greater the saving.
Auto-Renewal: Never Miss a Draw
If you prefer to play continuously without worrying about expiry dates, activate auto-renewal. When your chosen cycle ends, your combinations renew automatically for the next one. You stay active in every draw without interruption — no matter how large the jackpot grows.
Share50: Win Beyond Your Own Combinations
Share50 is Lottofy's exclusive collective play feature, giving you the chance to benefit from other players' winnings as well as your own. The mechanics are completely transparent, and we take no commission on Share50 prizes:
You keep 50% of any prize generated by your own bets.
The remaining 50% goes into the shared fund and is distributed proportionally among all Share50 participants, based on the number of bets each player has contributed.
In return, you receive your proportional share of the 50% contributed by all other participants.
In practice: even if none of your own combinations wins in a particular draw, you can still receive a payout when other Share50 players have winning entries. And if your own combinations do win, you keep 50% of your own prize, after any reduction set out in our Terms.
We take no commission on Share50 prizes. All the prizes generated within Share50 are distributed among the participating players.
Mega Millions has 9 prize categories. You do not need to match all numbers to win — matching just the Mega Ball alone is enough to claim a prize. The overall odds of winning any prize on a single Mega Millions entry are approximately 1 in 23.
Category | Main numbers matched | Mega Ball matched | Odds | Prize per entry (2X–10X) |
1 — Jackpot | 5 | Yes | 1 : 290,472,336 | Jackpot |
2 | 5 | No | 1 : 12,629,232 | $2,000,000 – $10,000,000 |
3 | 4 | Yes | 1 : 893,761 | $20,000 – $100,000 |
4 | 4 | No | 1 : 38,859 | $1,000 – $5,000 |
5 | 3 | Yes | 1 : 13,965 | $400 – $2,000 |
6 | 3 | No | 1 : 607 | $20 – $100 |
7 | 2 | Yes | 1 : 665 | $20 – $100 |
8 | 1 | Yes | 1 : 86 | $14 – $70 |
9 | 0 | Yes | 1 : 35 | $10 – $50 |
Every Mega Millions play carries a multiplier — 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X — assigned at random when you play. It multiplies every prize except the jackpot, which is why the table shows each prize as a range, from its 2X value to its 10X value.
Prizes shown are the official prize per entry. Much like the tax withheld from US lottery prizes, the payout on some prize tiers is reduced; the exact reductions are set out in our Terms.
In Categories 4 to 9 the number of winners makes no difference. For the jackpot (Category 1) and for Categories 2 and 3, your bet counts as one more winner alongside the official winning tickets: you receive the official prize divided by the number of official winners in that category plus one, however many other Lottofy players win. See How Your Jackpot Is Paid below and section 19.1 of our Terms. All prize amounts are in USD.
Powerball and Mega Millions are famous for record-breaking jackpots. Here is exactly what happens to that figure if your bet wins, as set out in our Terms and Conditions. At Lottofy you are betting on the result of the official US draw: you are not buying an official ticket, and your winnings are paid by us.
The Jackpot Shown Is the Advertised Gross Jackpot
The jackpot we show for each draw is the figure announced by the official US lottery, before any deduction. In the US, that headline figure is the annuity value: what an official ticket holder collects in 30 yearly instalments. Lottofy has no annuity option. A winning jackpot bet is always paid as one single lump sum, and two deductions apply to it.
The Two Deductions on the Jackpot
Withholding of 39.6% of the jackpot (section 20.2).
Lump-sum reduction of 40% of what remains, because the prize is paid in one go instead of over 30 years (section 20.1).
Together they leave 36.24% of the advertised jackpot (60.4% × 60%). If the official lottery's rules set a higher percentage for either deduction, the higher percentage applies.
Example | Amount |
Advertised jackpot | $100,000,000 |
Withholding (39.6%) | −$39,600,000 |
Remaining | $60,400,000 |
Lump-sum reduction (40%) | −$24,160,000 |
Your lump-sum jackpot | $36,240,000 |
If the Official Draw Has Other Jackpot Winners
Your winning bet counts as one more winner alongside the official winning tickets. You receive the jackpot divided by the number of official winners plus one, and the two deductions then apply to your share (section 19.1). It makes no difference how many other Lottofy players win.
Official jackpot winners | Your share before deductions | You receive on a $100,000,000 jackpot |
None | The whole jackpot | $36,240,000 |
1 | Half | $18,120,000 |
2 | One third | $12,080,000 |
If you place several bets with the same numbers in the same draw, you can win the jackpot only once. Smaller prizes are paid on every winning bet (section 16).
Second and Third Prizes
Matching 5 main numbers, or 4 main numbers plus the Powerball or Mega Ball, follows the same rule as the jackpot: your bet counts as one more winner, so you receive the official prize divided by the number of official winners in that category plus one (section 19.1). The 39.6% withholding then applies, with no lump-sum reduction (section 20.2). With no other official winner, a $1,000,000 prize pays $604,000; with one other official winner, $302,000. All other prizes are paid in full, with no deduction.
What Happens When You Win the Jackpot
Final results. Your prize is confirmed once the official lottery publishes its final results.
Verification. We will ask you for a certified copy of your passport or other government-issued ID, a bank statement for an account in your name and the signed Winner's Statement form we send you, plus any other check the law requires (section 7.3). Please complete it within 3 months of the draw; if you need longer, your prize stays in your account until you do.
Payment within 90 days of completing verification, normally by bank transfer to your own account. We pay the prize ourselves: it never depends on us recovering money from an insurer or the lottery operator.
Paid in pounds sterling. Your prize is worked out in US dollars and converted at the European Central Bank reference rate on the draw date.
Tax in the UK
Under current UK law, gambling winnings of UK residents are not subject to income tax or capital gains tax. If you are tax resident in another country, local taxes may apply (section 21).
This is a summary of our Terms and Conditions, which prevail if there is any difference.
