Mega Millions is one of the most popular and biggest lottery games played around the globe. It has over the years proven to be a massive boon for people all around the globe, as they have walked away with stunning amounts of money.
In this detailed guide, we will take you through how you can purchase a Mega Millions ticket, how you can play the game, how the draw is made, and what are the odds of winning. We will also take you through some of the best online lottery sites to play Mega Millions in India.
How to Play Mega Millions?
Playing Mega Millions from India can be done from the comfort of your home by buying the tickets online through selected lottery sites.
You can find the best sites for buying Mega Millions tickets below, but we will first guide you through the steps of buying a ticket.
- Head to the online lottery website of your choice
- Create an account
- Deposit money in your account by using the payment method of your choice
- Head over to the ‘Lotteries’ section of your selected website
- Select the Mega Millions game
- Choose 5 white ball numbers between 1 to 70
- Choose 1 Gold Mega Ball number between 1 to 25
- Make the payment and complete the purchase of your Mega Millions ticket
After you have completed your ticket purchase, all you have to do is wait for the draw and hope you have hit the jackpot.
Where to Play Mega Millions?
Most of the online lottery websites have the option of playing the game of Mega Millions due to its popularity around the globe. You have to consider a number of factors before choosing to play
Mega Millions on a particular site. Key among them is the accessibility and availability in your region. The variety of payment and withdrawal methods is also something you should consider before choosing a website.
Finally, the ticket price and what it will cost to your wallet should be an important factor. You can find the overview of Mega Millions ticket prices per lottery site below.
Considering all these factors, we will list down three of the best online websites to play Mega Millions in India.
Lotto Agent
LottoAgent has more than 15 lottery pages available in India. Mega Millions is one of them, in addition to famous lottery games like Powerball.
LottoAgent offers some of the best discounts in the market, with promotions available on first-time purchases as well as referral bonuses. The variety of payment methods available at disposal are also amazing with some of them being UPI, Paytm, net banking, Debit and Credit Cards.
A ticket of Mega Millions with five lines currently costs INR 2190.32 on LottoAgent after a discount of INR 216.63, the price per ticket stands at around INR 485.
The Lotter
The Lotter is another online lotto site that you should consider in India. It has many international lottery games available, including Mega Millions. This lottery site has a reputation of being safe and secure as well and you can play on it without worrying about your privacy.
The Lotter has a mobile available as well, with the supporting platforms being Android and iOS. It also supports some of the most popular payment methods in the Indian market, including the widely used UPI.
A Mega Millions ticket with three lines currently costs INR 1242 on The Lotter and INR 2070 for a ticket with five lines. This fixes the prices for one line at around INR 410. Every seventh Mega Millions ticket you buy is free if you have a subscription to the website.
LottoSmile
LottoSmile has been a major player in the online lottery world since their establishment in 2002. The variety of games and payment methods they offer are their biggest selling points. The number of online lotto games available are over 60 and that makes them a leading site to consider to play online lottery.
LottoSmile also boasts of having a friendly mobile app that is available both on iOS and Android.
On LottoSmile, a ticket of Mega Millions with 5 lines will cost you INR 2070. The ticket price per line stands at around INR 413.
What is Mega Millions?
Mega Millions was launched in 1996 and was initially known as the ‘The Big Game’. It was launched in the United States of America and was only played initially in a select few states like Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia.
The game was rebranded to Mega Millions in 2002 and grew in popularity from there onwards. The game has also undergone a lot of rule changes before finally settling in on the pattern of 2 separate draws of 1 to 70 and 1 to 25. The game is currently operated by Mega Millions Consortium and it is a collaborative effort between multiple state lottery organizations in the United States.
The minimum advertised jackpot sum is a handsome $20 million and that can grow in number to an infinite figure till all the correct six jackpot numbers are guessed.
To win the ultimate jackpot in Mega Millions, you have to guess five correct white ball numbers between 1 to 70 and the correct Gold Mega Ball number between 1 to 25, using a two drum system.
Mega Millions gained popularity immediately after the rebranding and is now held in 45 states across the United States. It has produced some of the biggest winnings in global history – including a handsome sum of $1.537 billion back in October 2018.
The game became so popular that it is now also possible to buy the tickets online all over the world. Sites like Lotto Agent can legally provide you with Mega Millions tickets in India.
Participating Countries in Mega Millions
Mega Millions is a game that originates in the United States of America and is widely played there.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states of the United States of America. It is also offered in the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
Despite being a game originating from the USA, it is widely available around the globe. Online lottery sites offer Mega Millions without an exception, making it one of the most accessible lottery games today.
There are no restrictions when it comes to playing online Mega Millions in India and it is completely legal to purchase an online Mega Millions lottery ticket. You can purchase a ticket from a reputed online lottery website and try your luck at winning a Mega Millions jackpot, which often stands at over $1 billion.
Despite it being a game originating from the USA, you don’t have to travel to the US to play the game of Mega Millions.
Mega Millions Ticket Prices
Living in the United States, a Mega Millions ticket will cost you around $2 if you purchase it from a local vendor. Adding the Megaplier option, the price rises to $3. But prices are subject to change depending on the online website you decide to purchase your Mega Millions ticket from.
Online websites do not own Mega Millions and they act as an agent when it comes to selling a ticket of Mega Millions. This is the reason why they generally charge a commission when you purchase the ticket, as this is the only source of revenue for them.
The prices may vary from site to site due to the different commission percentages they charge.
A full overview of Mega Millions ticket prices at legal lottery sites can be found below:
| Operator | Price |
| Lotto247 | ₹290 |
| Lottery World | ₹300 |
| Lottofy | ₹320 |
| Play Huge Lottos | ₹377 |
| The Lotter | ₹410 |
| Lotto Smile India | ₹413 |
| jackpot.com | ₹435 |
| Lottoland | ₹450 |
| Lotto Agent | ₹485 |
| Win Trillions | ₹665 |
Mega Millions Jackpot
The Mega Millions jackpot is one of the most lucrative jackpot available around the globe alongside the US Powerball. The amount can rise to billions of dollars if the numbers are not guessed soon. Mega Millions jackpot prize rises depending on how many jackpot draws occur without a jackpot winner being crowned:
The Mega Millions draw at the start follows the following structure:
- $20 million (Jackpot) – Five white balls + the Gold Mega Ball Number
- $1 million – Five white balls without Gold Mega Ball Number
- $10,000 – Four white balls + the Gold Mega Ball number
- $500 – Four white balls without Gold Mega Ball Number
- $200 – Three white balls + the Gold Mega Ball number
- $10 – Three white balls without Gold Mega Ball Number
- $10 – Two white balls + the Gold Mega Ball number
- $4 – One white ball + the Gold Mega Ball number
- $4 – Only the Gold Mega Ball number
It is important to note that this is just the starting position, usually the prizes are much higher. When a draw does not produce a winner, the jackpot and other prizes increase. This will continue to grow till the jackpot winner is finally crowned by guessing all the six numbers correctly.
There are many examples of winners of the Mega Millions jackpot having changed lives forever.
The biggest Mega Millions jackpot winner was crowned in October 2018 in Southern California and the winner anonymously claimed his prize in March 2019. In the states of New Jersey and Texas, winners have to choose in advance whether they want to be paid in cash or annuity. The other states allow you a 60-day limit after you have won the prize whether you want to be paid in cash or annuity.
Jackpot Cap
Mega Millions does not have a jackpot cap and is very similar to the US Powerball in this regard. The jackpot amount can grow and increase to millions and billions of dollars till all the six correct jackpot numbers are guessed correctly and only then a winner will be declared.
With no cap limit, Mega Millions jackpot numbers have often jumped up to earth-shattering amounts. After all the six numbers (the five white ball numbers + the Gold Mega Ball number) are guessed correctly, a winner is named and a new Mega Millions jackpot lottery draw will start with the jackpot amount winding back to$20 million for the jackpot prize.
Mega Millions Draw Schedule
The Mega Millions Draw is held every Tuesday and Friday exactly at 11:00 pm E.T and is broadcast live from the WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. This corresponds with every Wednesday and Saturday morning 8.30 IST in India.
The draw is also streamed live on the Mega Millions website. The draw is hosted by John Crow, Carol Blackmon and Adria Wofford.
Winnings in Mega Millions
In order to win the Mega Millions jackpot prize, you need to guess the five numbers correctly between 1 to 70 that are drawn. In addition to that, you need to guess the correct Golden Mega Ball number that is drawn between 1 to 25.
The jackpot rules of Mega Millions ensure that all the numbers are drawn randomly. There is a basic prize structure for the Mega Millions winners, which can be found above.
Mega Millions does not have a jackpot cap and so the grand jackpot prize money can increase into billions of dollars till all the six correct numbers are guessed.
Winnings are also subject to the United States tax law. If you win a prize above $5000, 24% of that is a mandatory upfront federal withholding going to the I.R.S. (Internal Revenue Service).
Apart from this, there is also the Indian tax bracket to take into consideration. When you receive your Mega Millions jackpot prize on your Indian bank account, you may be subject to extra taxes in the country. Still, the amount you end up winning will more than serve you well for the remainder of your life.
Find all the details about the taxes in India on our lottery tax page.
Odds of Winning Mega Millions
The Mega Millions jackpot offers you a mouth-watering sum of money. People have seen their lives change forever and their dreams come true if they end up winning the Mega Millions jackpot.
But as high as the money is on offer if you win the Mega Millions jackpot, the lower is the chance and odds of you walking away with the prize money. Mega Millions is a game of luck and chance and has some of the toughest odds in the world.
Below are how the odds look for the various prize money offered by the Mega Millions:
| Correctly Guessed Numbers | Odds of Winning |
| 5 Balls + Mega Ball | 1 in 302,575,350 |
| 5 Balls (without Mega Ball) | 1 in 12,607,306 |
| 4 Balls + Mega Ball | 1 in 931,001 |
| 4 Balls (without Mega Ball) | 1 in 38,792 |
| 3 Balls + Mega Ball | 1 in 14,547 |
| 3 Balls (without Mega Ball) | 1 in 606 |
| 2 Balls + Mega Ball | 1 in 693 |
| 1 Ball + Mega Ball | 1 in 89 |
| Mega Ball only | 1 in 37 |
From the above table we can conclude that the Mega Millions jackpot has lower odds of winning than the US Powerball. On the other hand, winning other prizes in Mega Millions has slightly higher odds when compared to the Powerball.
Despite it being a game of luck, some tips do exist that help you increase your chances of winning a Mega Million lottery.
Here are some tips that can help you increase the odds of winning:
- Expand your range and don’t limit yourself and get caught in patterns. Use the whole selection available right from 1 to 70 for the white ball number and 1 to 25 for the Gold Mega Ball number
- Don’t follow patterns like your birth date, birth date of a loved one or a date that is important to you like an anniversary
- Research the winners over the years and the numbers that have been called out the least
- You can also make your pick from the random numbers generator if you are unsure about the numbers
