Mega Millions
Mega Millions is a multi-state US$1 lottery game in the United States. Twelve U.S. states currently license Mega Millions as a provider of multistate lotteries in those states (29 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands license Powerball, Mega Millions' main competitor). As of 2007, Mega Millions features jackpots of at least US$12 million, payable in 26 annual payments or a lump sum cash payout. As will be explained later, there are differences in playing Mega Millions from state to state. Mega Millions is drawn Tuesdays and Fridays; the current estimated jackpot for Tuesday, June 12, 2007 is US$34 million, with a cash option of about $19.2 million. The most recent jackpot win was for approximately $44 million (annuity value), or $25.3 million cash, in the May 29, 2007 drawing, on a ticket bought in the Short Pump section of Richmond, the state capital. The winning ticket was shared by a local woman and a Florida man from the Tampa Bay area; they chose the cash option, and will each receive approximately $7 million after withholdings. There have been three rollovers since then.
History
Tickets went on sale in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia for the new lottery on August 31, 1996. It wasn't Mega Millions back then, it was The Big Game. Six days later, the first drawing was held. Drawings were held weekly on Fridays until they held a Tuesday drawing on February 10, 1998. On January 13, 1999, jackpot winners had the choice to claim the prize in lump sum for the first time (however, an Illinois winner in late 1998 was allowed to receive their prize in cash.) In May 1999, New Jersey joined The Big Game.
On May 9, 2000, The Big Game offered a jackpot worth $363 million. The prize was won by two ticket holders from different states. This was the largest under its old name and was once the world's largest. This was later surpassed on February 18, 2006 by a $365 million jackpot from Powerball, the other big interstate lottery.
On April 16, 2002, the last Big Game jackpot was won. This prize was worth $331 million and there were 3 winners. On May 14 that year, The Big Game held its last drawing.
New York and Ohio joined the Big Game on May 15, 2002. This was when the game was changed to its current name, Mega Millions. Also the "Big Money Ball" changed its name to the "Mega Ball." After its name change to "Mega Millions" from "The Big Game," the yellow ball in the logo of the Mega Millions read "The Big Game." The first Mega Millions drawing was held on May 17, 2002. Three more states joined. These are Washington in that same year, Texas in 2003, and California in 2005.
After rolling over 15 times, Mega Millions offered a jackpot $390 million on March 6, 2007. This set a new world record for the largest jackpot, returning the title to Mega Millions after being held briefly by Powerball. There were two winners in the $390 million draw, one from Georgia and one from New Jersey.
Playing the game
As of 2007, to play the game, a player pays one dollar and picks five numbers from 1 to 56 (white balls) and one additional number from 1 to 46 (the Mega Ball number, a yellow ball). In Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, the player must also choose, in advance, whether they wish to collect a jackpot in lump sum or annuity. Georgia and New Jersey winners can change an annuity ticket to cash; however, the choice is binding in New York and Texas. Tickets may be obtained from either retail locations, or by mail in select states (currently, only Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Virginia offer subscriptions by mail).
Previous incarnations of the Big Game and Mega Millions have had different matrices:
| Date | Pick 5 out of | Pick 1 out of |
|---|---|---|
| September 9 1996 | 50 | 25 |
| January 13 1999 | 50 | 36 |
| May 15 2002 (became Mega Millions) | 52 | 52 |
| June 22 2005 (current) | 56 | 46 |
Tickets must be purchased 15 minutes prior the draw (usually 11:00 PM Eastern time), accounting for local time zone differences.
Laws and regulations vary slightly and are generally governed by the applicable laws in the state where the ticket is sold, and the winner's home state (e.g. if a New Jersey resident buys a winning ticket near their workplace in Manhattan.) Mega Millions winnings are generally exempt from state income tax in California and New Jersey; Texas and Washington have no state income tax. On the other hand, residents of New York City and Yonkers, New York pay city tax in addition to state and federal taxes.
As of 2007, a player wins a prize according to the following chart:
| Matches | Payout [1] | Odds of winning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal balls (pool of 56) |
Mega ball (pool of 46) | ||
| 5 | 1 | Jackpot[2] | 1 in 175,711,536 |
| 5 | 0 | $250,000 | 1 in 3,904,701 |
| 4 | 1 | $10,000 | 1 in 689,065 |
| 4 | 0 | $150 | 1 in 15,313 |
| 3 | 1 | $150 | 1 in 13,781 |
| 3 | 0 | $7 | 1 in 306 |
| 2 | 1 | $10 | 1 in 844 |
| 1 | 1 | $3 | 1 in 141 |
| 0 | 1 | $2 | 1 in 75 |
| Overall odds of winning any prize | 1 in 40 | ||
The overall payout in Mega Millions is 50 percent, which is in line with the smaller games offered by its members. However, New York Lotto has a payout of only 40%.
Unlike its main rival Powerball, only one Mega Millions participant, Texas, offers players a chance to multiply lower-tier prizes. This is called "Megaplier".
Machines Used
Like most games that used power or bonus balls, a pair of machines are used. The balls are moved around inside a rotating drum. The winning balls drop through a hole in the drum a single at a time.
The draw
Drawings are usually held at WSB-TV in Atlanta at 11:00 PM Eastern time on Tuesdays and Fridays. Usually, the announcer is WSB's chief weather forecaster, Glenn Burns. However, drawings may sometimes be held elsewhere:
- On February 20 and July 2 2004, when the jackpot reached near-record levels (annuitized values of US$230 million and US$290 million, respectively), the draws were held in Times Square with New York Lottery draw host Yolanda Vega.
- On June 24 2005, to commemorate California joining Mega Millions, the drawing was held in Hollywood, California with Carrie Underwood assisting Glenn Burns for the draw.
- On March 6 2007, the draw returned to Times Square with host Yolanda Vega due to the the world's largest jackpot offered (an annuitized jackpot of US$390 million).
Record jackpots
| Prize | Date | Winners | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| $390 million | March 6, 2007 | Two ticket holders | World's largest jackpot |
| $363 million | May 9, 2000 | Two ticket holders | Largest Big Game prize |
| $315 million | November 15, 2005 | Individual | Largest single Mega Millions prize |
Participating States
The following states participate in the Mega Millions Lottery game:
- California (joined in 2005; newest, and possibly last, member)
- Georgia (original member; had offered Powerball but dropped out when the Big Game began)
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Jersey (1999)
- New York (2002)
- Ohio (2002; New York and Ohio joined at the same time when Mega Millions began)
- Texas (2003)
- Virginia
- Washington (2002)
States without a date listed above are one of the charter members.
As of May 2007, the minimum age to purchase a Mega Millions ticket is 18, regardless of participating state. In most of these states, with the exception of Virginia, minors can win on tickets received as gifts; the rules according to each state vary for minors receiving prizes.
Unlike Powerball, there are significant differences in play style among a number of the Mega Millions states:
- California's eight lower-tier prize levels (as well as the jackpot) are pari-mutuel. Its second prize often rolls over, and has paid over $1 million (cash) on multiple occasions.
- New York requires the jackpot choice (cash or annuity) to be made when the ticket is bought.
- Ohio has a Kicker game than can be played only with Mega Millions. A six-digit number is printed on all Ohio Mega Millions tickets, regardless if the Kicker is activated.
- Texas is the other Mega Millions state that requires the payment choice to be made before winning, instead of after. Likewise, it is the only state with the Megaplier (see above).
Georgia and New Jersey, while requiring the cash/annuity choice when playing, allows an annuity ticket to be changed to lump sum when claiming (a cash ticket cannot be changed, however). The jackpot choice in New York and Texas is binding. The game-wide cash option started after federal regulations signed by then-President Bill Clinton no longer required the choice to be made when playing. (Ironically, before his second term ended, Clinton and his wife, now US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, moved to New York, whose lottery has never, as of May 2007, given any of its winners the 60-day period after winning, which was made legal in 1998.
References
- ^ Payouts are uniform in all Mega Millions states, except in California, where all prizes, including the jackpot, are pari-mutuel, meaning payouts are based on sales and the number of winners. All other Mega Millions states set the 2nd through 9th prizes at pre-determined amounts.
- ^ If more than one person wins the jackpot, the prize is equally divided among the winning tickets. Winners have between 180 days to 1 year to collect the jackpot, depending upon the applicable laws in the state where the winning ticket was sold. Other than in New York and Texas (see above), a jackpot winner has 60 days from the drawing, or in some states, 60 days after claiming, to choose cash or annuity. The lump sum payment is typically approximately 55%-60% of the annuity value. The minimum jackpot prize is US$12 million, disbursed in 26 annual payments, or a cash payout.
External links
- MegaMillions.com - Official site