How To Legally Play Mega Millions Online Legally In The US In 2024
Mega Millions is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which allows them to have some of the largest jackpots available to win in the world. MUSL also coordinates the Powerball and Hot Lotto lotteries.
Mega Millions was named “The Big Game” when it first burst out onto the scene in 1996 and has one of the largest minimum jackpots out of all the lotteries in the US. As of this writing, the largest jackpot to date for the Mega Millions lottery has been $656 million dollars and is expected to increase in the next year.
This guide was created for individuals seeking up to date and accurate information about buying Mega Millions tickets online. Below you can find a detailed explanation on the legal status of playing the lottery through state licensed lottery sites and how this impacts the market.
Read further for a list of frequently asked questions about Legal US Lottery Sites and how to play MegaMillions online.
Can I Play Mega Millions Online Legally In The US In 2024?
Yes, you can. Playing the lottery through licensed lottery agents online is not illegal in any state within the US.
The 2011 Department of Justice legal opinion on the Federal Wire Act opened the door to individual states seeking to offer online lottery tickets to their residents. The DOJ’s ruling clarified the application of the Federal Wire Act, limiting its authority to US bsaed online sportsbooks with no restrictions whatsoever for online lottery games that are licensed and regulated by individual states.
The good news is that we have no restrictions or prohibitions relevant to buying lottery tickets online. In fact, when the DOJ clarified the application of the Federal Wire Act, they did so specifically to address the legitimacy of interstate lottery ticket purchases due to some controversy that had arisen surrounding this practice. The DOJ affirmed that interstate lottery ticket purchases are not illegal.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is another law that is mistakenly thought to impact the lottery industry. The UIGEA only acts to add a layer of federal and punitive oversight to specific methods of payment processing in large banking institutions. It basically regulates how gambling related transactions are processed online. Neither of these laws has any impact relevant to state-licensed online lottery sites providing Mega Millions tickets online.
The Top Legal US Lottery Sites To Purchase Mega Millions Tickets In 2024
The following list of online lottery websites are all legally sanctioned by the state government of the state in which they are located. These sites are licensed and regulated through governing agencies and provide a safe and secure environment to play lottery games online.
If you live in one of the states sponsoring these sites, then you can definitely access their offerings. Players who live outside of the states mentioned below will not be permitted to purchase tickets online at these particular destinations.
| Site Name | Current Bonus | States | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 50% Max $100 | MI Only | Play Now Review |
 | $5 Free | PA Only | Play Now Review |
Mega Millions FAQS
In Which States Can I Play MegaMillions?
Mega Millions is offered in 44 states in the USA also including the US Virgin Islands and the District of Colombia. Tickets can now be purchased online in a handful of individual states, including Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota and Pennsylvania, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Virginia.
List Of Mega Millions States
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
How To Play Mega Millions Online?
1. The first thing that you need to do is get registered for an account at your state’s lottery by entering some limited personal information and create your account
2. Now, you will need to make a deposit into your account appropriate to the amount of money you wish to spend on lottery tickets in your first purchase. Make sure to check the daily deals and promotions before making any deposits.
3. Select your lucky numbers. You can hit the ‘quick pick’ button or manually pick the number you wish to play.
4. Click the checkout link and follow the prompts to complete your payment.
5. Sit back and relax until the next drawing comes on for your chance to win that life changing payday.
Is Playing Mega Millions Online Safe?
If you have chosen to play MegaMillions through a properly licensed online lottery website, your winnings and financial information are safe and secure. They all use the industry standard SSL data encryption to ensure safety on their financial servers.
While we cannot comment on the other, non-licensed providers in the industry, the ones listed in this guide have been deemed legally reputable and accountable for all the winnings they have produced since they have arrived on the scene.
There have been thousands of small-time winners and even a few big winners through online websites and a problem has never been reported from any of the providers that we list here.
Where Can I Buy Mega Millions Tickets in Person?
Mega Millions tickets are available in 46 jurisdictions within the United States. The states that do not sell lottery tickets are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah.
Where Can I Buy Mega Millions Tickets Online?
If you live in one of the states that have integrated online lottery options into their repertoire, then you can visit the official lottery website for that state to purchase tickets.
How Much Do Mega Millions Tickets Cost?
The price for a Mega Million ticket is different in person than it is online. In person, each play is $1 dollar and the Megaplier is another $1 dollar on top of that. The price online is slightly inflated because of the service that you are paying for that comes with it.
The online lottery agent will physically go and purchase the ticket and hold on to it until the drawing for you. Should there be any winnings, they will also handle the transfer of those for you.
What is the “Megaplier” option?
The “Megaplier” is an option for Mega Millions customers to increase their winnings by up to 2, 3, 4, or even 5 times. For an extra dollar at the time of purchase you can add this multiplier to your potential winnings and if you win anything other than the overall jackpot, your sum of money will be multiplied by the number on the megaplier.
This means that if you win the $1 million and have a 5x megaplier, you will take home $5 million dollars.
What Are The Odds Of Winning The Mega Millions Lottery?
Like many other lotteries in the USA, there are 9 ways to win something at various prize levels with the Mega Millions Lottery. The game is matched through a series of 5 white balls and 1 yellow ball for the grand prize. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 258.8 million.
If you have all five white balls and you just didn’t match the yellow ball at the end, you will win $1 million dollars. Odds for that are 1 in 18.4 million. After that, 4 white balls and 1 yellow ball will net you $5,000.
The odds for winning $5000 are 1 in 739.6 thousand. 4 white balls will get you $500 and the odds for that are 1 in 52 thousand. The lowest prize you can win is $1 dollar and the odds for that are 1 in 21.
When Is The Mega Millions Drawing?
Mega Millions drawings are held primarily in Atlanta at the WSB-TV Studios. They are broadcasted on WGN-TV on Tuesdays and Fridays directly after WGN’s 9pm central newscast.
How Do I Win Mega Millions?
There are 9 ways to win the Mega Millions lottery. Players will pick from two separate pools of numbers. In one pool, the white balls are numbered 1 – 75 and you will need to pick 5. In the other pool, the yellow pool, you will have to pick 1 ball from 1 – 15. If you get all 5 white balls and the yellow ball you win the Mega Millions jackpot. Having only the yellow ball in your numbers will win you $1, 1 white and 1 yellow wins you $2. Having 2 white and 1 yellow wins you $5, 3 white and 0 yellow also wins you $5 dollars.
The next step is $50 dollars and for that you will need 3 white balls and 1 yellow ball. To win $500, 4 white balls are needed. The next is $5,000 and for that you will need to choose 4 white balls and have the 1 yellow ball chosen correctly. You have the chance to win $1 million if you choose all 5 of your white balls correctly. By adding in your megaplier, you may be able to multiply you winnings by up to 5 times in any prizes that are not the jackpot.
How Do I Claim My Winnings?
Winners are dealt with on a case by case basis in most licensed online lottery agents. For smaller amount of winnings, your money will be credited back to you in your online lottery site account. For prizes that are larger, they are held safely for you until you contact them or a team member contacts you to arrange for the winnings to either be transferred to you physically or digitally depending on the size of the transfer.
Are There Mega Millions Syndicates?
There are. Mega Millions offers you the chance to pool your friends and family together to increase your chances to win the grand prize. In a lottery syndicate, you will be sharing the chances that you and your fellow syndicate partners have together and sharing the winnings equally according to your contribution to the syndicate. It’s a great way to increase your chances without spending any extra money.
What are Mega Millions Subscriptions?
This is a feature that was added to the online marketplace that allows you to choose a regular automated purchase of lottery tickets. You can set the subscription to purchase multiple draws on a regular basis and to also purchase multiple tickets for each individual draw. These purchases duplicate themselves automatically according to the subscription details you have set.
How Many Numbers Are In Mega Millions?
There are 90 total numbers in the Mega Millions lottery. You will choose 5 white balls from 1-75 and 1 yellow ball from the numbers 1-15.
The History of Mega Millions.
Mega Millions began under a different name, “The Big Game”. The Big Game tickets started being sold in Illinois, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, and Maryland on August 31st 1996. In January of 1999, jackpot winners were given the option to take their money in cash instead of the annuity options.
Then, in May of that same year, New Jersey joined The Big Game. In 2002, The Big Game became “The Big Game Mega Millions”. In this time, they used the old name to transition into a new one that we have come to know and love now in 2017.
After the name change, other states started to join the multi-state lottery association and the games grew larger and larger. Now, there are 44 American lottery jurisdictions that are playing Mega Millions.
Resources for Mega Millions Players
All of this information and much more can be found at the Official Mega Millions Website. From that link you can find the Mega Millions numbers, the official Mega Millions rules, and the past Mega Millions winners and how much money they won and how they chose to receive it.
LegalOnlineLottery.com strongly encourages responsible gambling. If you are currently showing any signs of a gambling problem, or you think you might be developing a problem with gambling, we strongly urge you to consider seeking help here.