Drawing takes place Friday (7/29) at 10:00 p.m. CDT
KSNF/KODE — Purchasing a $2 dollar Mega Millions lottery ticket could change your life in a billion different ways; that is, if you win the current jackpot.
The jackpot currently stands at $1,000,500,000 (that’s one billion, five hundred thousand dollars).
If luck is on your side, all that cash, minus taxes, could be yours if you happen to pick all six winning numbers, which just happens to be a one-in-three-hundred-billion chance (1-in-300,000,000,000).
Mega Millions tickets can be purchased in 45 states, including Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
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You can purchase a Mega Millions ticket until the cut-off time of 8:59 p.m. central, on the night of the drawing (7/29).
The drawing for the billion dollar jackpot takes place Friday, July 29th, 2022 at 10:00 p.m. CDT (11:00 p.m. EDT).
This is the third time in history the Mega Millions jackpot has topped one billion dollars.
The Mega Millions jackpot has topped $1 billion for the third time in history.
Launched in 2002, the American lottery game reached $1.537 billion in October 2018 and $1.050 billion in January 2021.
Nobody won the $810 million jackpot in Tuesday night’s draw (July 26th), meaning it’s all to play for in Friday night’s draw on July 29th.
All you have to do is match those six winning numbers, but what time do they stop selling Mega Millions tickets? Read on to find out…
- TOP TIPS: BEST MEGA MILLIONS NUMBERS TO PICK TO WIN THAT HUGE JACKPOT
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Mega Millions ticket cut off time
You can buy Mega Millions tickets right up until 15 minutes before the draw which takes place at 11 pm ET on Tuesday and Friday. So, tickets can be bought until 10:45 pm.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought in 47 localities, including 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
To be in with a chance of winning Friday’s $1.02 billion jackpot, all you need to do is buy a ticket on the Mega Millions website or in selected stores before 10:45 pm.
The easiest way to purchase a ticket is by heading to the Mega Millions website and selecting your state, which will then take you to the relevant ticket-buying site.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesHow to play Mega Millions
To play Mega Millions, you need to pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25.
You can choose the numbers yourself or select them at random, then they are recorded on your $2 ticket.
To win the jackpot, you must match all six winning numbers – but there are also lots of other ways to win smaller prizes ranging from the jackpot down to $2.
For example, if you only match the Mega Ball, you will win $2, whilst matching four normal numbers will win you $500.
Most states also offer a Megaplier option that costs $1 extra and increases non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times depending on which Megaplier is drawn.
Find all the ways to win and more details on how to play here.
- EXPLAINED: HOW TO FILL OUT MEGA MILLIONS TICKET AHEAD OF TONIGHT’S $1 BILLION DRAW
Claiming the jackpot
If you are lucky enough to match all six numbers and win the jackpot, there are two different ways to receive the money.
You can choose to have a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool if you wish.
Or, there is also an annuity option which means the jackpot is paid in one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments.
Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous one and Mega Millions believes this “helps protect winners’ lifestyle and purchasing power in periods of inflation”.
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The Mega Millions jackpot is now at $515 million as of May 21, 2021. The Mega Millions lottery drawing takes place at 11 p.m. Eastern (10 p.m. Central) every Tuesday and Friday night. However, most retailers stop selling tickets a little earlier than that, typically 15 minutes to an hour before the drawing. Here’s a look at the cutoff times in each state for buying a $2 ticket if you want to participate.
See the Cutoff Times for Purchasing Mega Millions Tickets in Every State
Please note that despite the times listed below, you might still want to call your nearest gas station or convenience store first, just to make sure you’re not wasting a trip before you head over. Due to coronavirus regulations in some regions, locations might be operating at different hours.
Alabama: Mega Millions is not played here.
Alaska: Mega Millions is not sold here.
Arizona: Cut-off time is 6:59 p.m. Arizona time from the second Sunday of March through the first Saturday in November. It’s 7:59 p.m. Arizona time from the first Sunday in November through the second Sunday in March. Find a retailer here.
Arkansas: Draw sales end at 9:45 p.m. Central Tuesday and Friday.
California: Drawings typically close at 7:45 p.m. Pacific.
Colorado: No ticket sales Tuesday and Friday between 7:30 and 7:33 p.m., Monday and Wednesday and Thursday between midnight and 4:30 a.m., and Sunday between midnight and 8 a.m.
Connecticut: On draw night, ticket sales close at 10 p.m. and reopen at 11:15 p.m.
Delaware: Tickets on sale up to 9:45 p.m. on drawing days.
Florida: Sales end at 10 p.m. Eastern on drawing days, to allow adequate time for all 46 member lotteries to transmit their data. Sales are closed from 10-10:05 p.m. Eastern on drawing dates, with sales resuming at 10:05 p.m. for the next drawing.
Georgia: Closing time is typically 10:45 p.m. Eastern. Contact your retailer for details.
Hawaii: Mega Millions is not sold here.
Idaho: Drawing time is 9 p.m. MT on Tuesdays and Fridays. Idaho Lottery notes: “Players may purchase tickets until one hour and five minutes prior to the draw on the night of the draw. At one hour prior to the draw, sales will resume for the next draw.”
Illinois: Cutoff time is 9:45 p.m.
Indiana: Sales on drawing dates cut off at 10:44 p.m. Eastern.
Iowa: Cut off time is 8:59 p.m. on draw days, with the approximate drawing time being at 10 p.m. Note that other lotteries in the state have different cutoff times and not all are an hour before.
Kansas: Players have until 8:59 p.m. on draw days to get tickets for the Mega Millions drawing.
Kentucky: The cut-off time is typically 10:45 p.m. Eastern.
Louisiana: Purchase your ticket by 9 p.m. on the draw date for Mega Millions or Powerball. For other drawings, it’s later.
Maine: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m. Eastern on the day of the drawing (Tuesdays and Fridays.)
Maryland: Cut-off time is about 15 minutes prior to the drawing, and sales for the next day start immediately after the cut-off.
Massachusetts: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m. on the day of the drawing.
Michigan: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m the day of the drawing in retail stores and online. Online sales for the next draw start at 10:45 p.m. the night of the current drawing.
Minnesota: Cut-off time is 9 p.m. on the day of the drawing.
Mississippi: Mega Millions is now played in Mississippi too as of January 2020. Cutoff time for buying tickets is typically about an hour before the drawing, but check with your local retailer to be sure.
Missouri: No ticket sales are made Tuesdays and Fridays between 8:59 p.m. and 10 p.m, and daily between 2 and 5 a.m.
Montana: Drawings close at 8 p.m. local time, an hour before the drawing.
Nebraska: Tickets typically aren’t sold from 9-9:03 p.m. on drawing nights, and otherwise can purchased from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. Central any day of the week. Call your retailer for details.
Nevada: Mega Millions is not played in this state.
New Hampshire: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m. the night of the drawing.
New Jersey: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m. Eastern on drawing night.
New Mexico: Cut-off is 8:45 p.m. Mountain time on draw days, and sales resume at 8:55 p.m.
New York: Ticket sales stop at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights.
North Carolina: Ticket sales end at 10:45 p.m on the day of the drawing.
North Dakota: You must purchase your ticket before 8:58 p.m. Central on the day of the drawing, which is at 10 p.m. Central.
Ohio: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m. on draw days, 15 minutes before the drawing.
Oklahoma: Purchase tickets until 8:59 p.m. Central on the evening of the drawing, about an hour before the drawing.
Oregon: Cut-off time is Tuesdays and Fridays between 7-8:15 p.m. PST.
Pennsylvania: Cut-off time is 9:59 p.m. local time the day of a drawing.
Rhode Island: Cut-off time is typically 9:50 p.m. on drawing nights, with drawings at 11 p.m. Call your local retailer to confirm.
South Carolina: Ticket sales stop at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
South Dakota: Buy tickets until 9 p.m. Central/8 p.m. MT on the nights of the drawings.
Tennessee: Draw breaks typically begin at 9:45 p.m. Central (10:45 p.m. Eastern), but you’ll want to check with your local retailer to be sure.
Texas: Ticket sales are not available during a draw break from 9:45-10:15 p.m. Central on the day of the drawing, and drawings are broadcast at 10:12 p.m.
Utah: Mega Millions is not played here.
Vermont: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m. with the drawing at 11 p.m.
Virginia: Tickets stop selling at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights.
Washington: Ticket sales cut-off Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:45 p.m. and resume at 7:46 p.m. with sales for the next drawing.
Washington D.C.: Buy tickets until 10:45 p.m. Eastern on draw nights.
West Virginia: Cut-off time is 9:59 p.m. Eastern on draw day. Find your retailer here and call for details.
Wisconsin: Cut-off time is 9 p.m. on draw days.
Wyoming: Draw breaks begin at 8 p.m. MT on the night of the drawing.
How to Win
You’ll win the major jackpot if you match all five white numbers and the yellow ball.
- If you match all five white numbers only, you’ll win $1 million.
- If you match 4 white and the yellow, you’ll win $10,000.
- If you match 4 white only, you’ll win $500.
- If you match 3 white and 1 yellow, you’ll win $200.
- If you match 3 white only or if you match 2 white and 1 yellow, you’ll win $10.
- If you match a yellow ball and a white ball during tonight’s drawing, then you will walk away with $4.
- If you only match two white balls and don’t match the yellow ball, you won’t win anything.
- If you match one yellow ball (which is the last number drawn), then you’ll win $2.
- If you only match one white number, then you won’t win anything tonight.
MegaMillions changed its rules as of April 3, 2020, because of the pandemic. The jackpot now begins at $20 million rather than $40 million. The rate at which the jackpot increases is no longer guaranteed to be a minimum of $5 million, but will be based on sales and interest rates.
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