What days of the week are the Mega Millions drawings held?

Mega Millions is one of the biggest lotteries in the United States and is currently available to residents of 45 states. The lottery lives up to its name and has a reputation as one of the most lucrative prize draws, giving out a whopping $1.58 billion jackpot in August 2023 and $1.35 billion in January 2023.

The twice-weekly lottery gives players a chance at winning a life-changing amount of money every Tuesday and Friday. The multi-state game has a roll-over jackpot that gradually rises if no winning ticket is claimed. Tickets cost $2 each and consist of five numbers and a separate ‘Mega Ball’. The odds of winning the top prize are more than 300 million to 1.

When is the Mega Million lottery drawn?

The Mega Million drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET.

The drawing process sees five white balls that are drawn from a pot of balls from 1 to 70, while one golden Mega Ball is drawn from a set of balls from 1 to 25. In total there are nine ways to win a prize and the overall chance of winning something is 1 in 24.

The prizes on offer vary from $2 to the jackpot, which begins at $20 million. The jackpot is reserved for tickets who have all five numbers and the Mega Ball. Any tickets with all five numbers but no Golden Ball will get a flat $1 million prize. If no one wins the full jackpot the money is ‘rolled over’ to the jackpot for the next drawing.

Those lucky enough to match all five numbers and the Mega Ball have two choices for how the collect their winnings. The prize money can be distributed in the form of an initial payment and then 29 annual payments, or the recipient can choose to receive the whole lot in a one-off payment for less money.

The size of the jackpot on offer grows with every week without a winner. Let’s see if there will be a new millionaire this week!