To play US Mega Millions, players choose five numbers from a guess range of 1-56 and an additional number, the Mega Ball, from a separate number matrix with a guess range of 1-46. The additional number is required to win the Mega Millions jackpot, as well as for several secondary prizes from the lottery’s nine prize categories. Players at theLotter.com can play the lotto with 5 line entry forms and can choose to have the system randomly select their numbers (Quick Pick), use saved numbers from their theLotter.com account (My Lucky Numbers), or manually select numbers (Natural Selection).
The Megaplier play option is a multiply prizes feature which offers the opportunity to double, triple or quadruple secondary prize winnings. With the MegaPlier, second prize winner can become millionaires by quadrupling the $250,000 prize to $1 million!
Additionally, players can enjoy great discounts and never miss a draw when playing the Mega Millions and 40+ online lottos exclusively at theLotter, by purchasing a Subscription or Multi-Draw.
The Mega Millions is played every Tuesday and Friday at 23:00 PM EST, and ticket sales close three hours before the draw.and Mega Millions results are posted on theLotter.com at 7:00 GMT the same day.
Winning the Mega Millions
The U.S. Mega Millions lottery has nine prize categories, and to win the lotto jackpot players must successfully guess five numbers and the additional number called the Mega Ball. The Mega Ball is required to win the jackpot as well as 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th prize categories. Winners have 180 days to claim their winnings and can do so in the form of a lump sum (a jackpot winner’s choice to receive all winnings at once which may be less than the annuitized payment) or an annuity (any structured fixed jackpot payments that are given over a specified period of time).
Taxation on MegaMillions prizes varies according to the winner’s place of residence. US residents who match Mega Millions winning numbers are subject to income tax while non-US residents’ winnings are taxed at a rate of 30%.
For tax-free lottery jackpots try EuroMillions or EuroJackpot.
Mega Millions Statistics
The Mega Millions’ most frequently drawn numbers are currently: 45, 36, 38, 3, 21, 27, 29, 31, 44, 48, 49, and 56.
The lottery’s least frequently drawn numbers are currently: 9, 10, 14, 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 34, and 53.
theLotter.com Mega Millions Winners
Three 2nd Prize MegaMillions Winners at theLotter - Three players at theLotter.com have claimed the 2nd prize in the U.S. MegaMillions, taking home $250,000 each. In 2009, T. K., an American living in New York preferred playing in the comfort of his own home and was rewarded with a $250,000 Mega Millions prize after collecting the ticket from theLotter.com’s local New York office. In 2011, N.B. from Switzerland correctly predicted five numbers and won the coveted multi-state lottery’s second prize division. Most recently, B.G. from Spain was the recipient of the American lottery’s $250,000 prize when the player purchased a Multi-Draw package at theLotter.com in March 2012, bringing the lotto fan a happy quarter of a million dollar return!
Record Ticket Sales, Record Prizes - Mega Millions’ record-breaking prize of $656 million dollars began as a $476 million jackpot when draw 2012/25 rolled over at the end of March 2012. Lotto fans who anticipated the lottery’s jump to half a billion dollars continued to purchase tickets at an astounding rate and pushed the jackpot up to $500 million within a day. Soon after, additional prize jumps followed, upping the first place reward to $540 million, $640 million, and a final prize of $656 million. Ticket sales from 44 participating states contributed to the new world record!
Mega Millions Anecdotes
“Who? Me?!” - In March of 2007, Eddie Nabors, from Dalton, Georgia had his life transformed when one of his co-workers casually mentioned that someone from Dalton had won part of the historical $390 Million Mega Millions jackpot but had not yet come forward. Eddie thought he might have played that past week, but wasn’t sure. Lo and behold he was one of the winners! Had his friend not mentioned it, he might have never known about his mammoth win!
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