Mega Millions is one of the nation’s most popular lotteries thanks to its valuable prizes and the fact that you can buy tickets in 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Whether you’re hoping to win the next billion-dollar grand prize, buying a random ticket, or somewhere in between, we show you where to buy Mega Millions tickets online & in every state.
Table of Contents
- How to Play Mega Millions
- Where to Buy Mega Millions Tickets Online & in Every State
- Buy Mega Millions Tickets Online
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Virgin Islands
- Washington State
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Summary
How to Play Mega Millions
Playing Mega Millions is straightforward and similar to buying Powerball tickets, but still a game of chance. You will want to buy your tickets before the twice-weekly drawings on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The cutoff time is usually 15 minutes before the 11 p.m. Eastern time, meaning you should place your order before 10:45 p.m. Eastern (9:45 Central, 8:45 Mountain, 7:45 Pacific). But the deadline varies by state and platform. For example, the cutoff time is an hour before the draw in several states.
You pay $2 per ticket and can choose six numbers. The first five range from 1 to 70, and the sixth “jackpot” number is between 1 and 25. You can manually bubble each number or choose the Quick Pick or Easy Pick option to generate your numbers randomly.
Many states also let you pay an extra $1 ($3 total) to be eligible for the Megaplier bonus. You can win between 2-5 times the non-jackpot bonus.
Some states also have a Just the Jackpot option. For $3, you receive two tickets but can only win the jackpot by matching all six numbers. Any other winning combinations aren’t eligible for a monetary reward.
The acceptable payment options vary by state, with cash and debit cards as the most common methods. Roughly 25 states allow credit card payments.
What States Don’t Have Mega Millions?
These five states currently don’t allow Mega Millions tickets to be sold within their borders:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Utah
That doesn’t mean you can’t play if you live in one of the above states, but you must visit a participating state to buy tickets. For example, residents of southern Nevada may go to Bullhead City, Arizona, to buy lottery tickets.
Where to Buy Mega Millions Tickets Online & in Every State
It’s possible to buy lottery tickets online or through a mobile app in approximately 15 states and Washington, D.C. Physical tickets can be purchased from retailers and self-serve kiosks in 45 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Buy Mega Millions Tickets Online
Several states permit getting Mega Millions tickets online using these apps:
- 🏆 Jackpot.com: Available in New York, Ohio, and Texas. 🆓 Free lottery ticket with first purchase.
- Lotto.com: Buy Powerball tickets and Mega Millions in Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.
These apps require enabling your phone’s location services to verify you are currently in a participating state. This geo-location verification process is similar to most games that pay real money.
Prize winnings below $600 typically deposit within the app wallet for you to claim quickly. Depending on the state, you may need to visit a local office to claim big prizes.
Arizona
The Arizona Lottery has 3,000 retailers across the state, with Albertsons, Circle K, and Safeway being popular locations. You can also purchase them at smaller gas nation networks, American Legion locations, and VFW posts. The lottery website lets you search for spots by city, zip code, and street address.
Arkansas
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has an interactive map to find participating merchants by city, zip code, street address, or retailer name. There is also a separate search feature for ticket vending machines across the state.
California
Search for vendors by address, city, or zip code to sift through over 23,000 locations selling tickets. The California State Lottery also lets you look exclusively for “Lucky Retailers” that meet at least one of the following traits for a recent calendar year:
- Sold at least one $100,000 or higher winning ticket
- Paid out an average of 400 winning tickets per week
- Paid out an average of $4,000 in winning tickets per week
Buying Mega Millions tickets from a Lucky Retailer doesn’t improve your odds of winning, as the overall odds of winning a prize are 1:24 nationwide. Still, you may want to support successful stores. Approximately 4,000 merchants have this designation.
Colorado
The Colorado Lottery has a searchable map where you can browse a statewide list of retailers alphabetically. Popular spots include 7-Eleven convenience stores, King Soopers, and independent liquor stores.
You can search the map by address, city, or zip code. The lottery website and app also let you tap a “has vending machine” box or search a radius from 50 miles to one mile when you need to narrow your search results.
Connecticut
The Connecticut Lottery can help you find retailers by city, zip code, or store name. There is also an additional search feature for lottery ticket vending machines that requires scanning a driver’s license or state ID to verify you’re of legal age to play and accept $100 bills and smaller amounts.
Delaware
The Delaware Lottery search map lets you find retailers by city or zip. These search features are relatively limited compared to other state lottery websites, but it gets the job done. You can also click the “Locations Nearby” button to find retailers near your present location.
The lottery website also has a print-friendly feature which individuals may still prefer. You can also look for sports betting and Keno kiosks.
District of Columbia
The DC Lottery lets you buy Mega Millions tickets and other lottery games online with the iLottery platform. The service matches up to $250 for your first deposit. You can also type your address to find physical locations to buy paper tickets.
Florida
Find where to play Mega Millions with the Florida Lottery by city or zip code. Your search results display in a list format with the retailer’s name, address, county, and if a lottery vending machine (LVM) is present.
Georgia
The Georgia Lottery allows residents to buy tickets directly from the state website. You can also type in the city name or zip code to find participating stores and gas stations. Be sure to visit retailers that offer “Draw Games,” the type of lottery game that Mega Millions is.
Idaho
The Idaho Lottery lets you enter the city or zip code to find participating retailers. There is also a dropdown menu to find places that sell a specific game type (i.e., draw, scratch, PullTab, TouchTab, and InstaPlay).
Illinois
The Illinois Lottery is one of the easiest ways to buy Mega Millions tickets, as you can choose your numbers directly from the state website. Residents can also subscribe purchase tickets automatically for up to eight consecutive draws. If you prefer in-person transactions, you can search for nearby retailers with an interactive map.
Indiana
Indiana’s Hoosier Lottery can use your current location to find nearby retailers. Entering a zip code into the online map presents participating gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, and package stores.
Iowa
Use the Iowa Lottery website to find retailers by city or zip code. You may find it easier to learn more about where to play and track lottery promotions using the LotteryPlus mobile app, which also lets you generate ePayslips.
Kansas
The Kansas Lottery lets you search for retailers by city, county, or zip code. The interactive map designates each retailer by store type, such as restaurant, gas station, grocery store, or the mysterious “miscellaneous,” which can be a travel center, truck stop, and convenience mart.
Kentucky
The Kentucky Lottery lets you buy standard tickets, Just the Jackpot, and up to 26 online draws (13 weeks). First-time online players can have up to 100% of the initial deposit matched ($849 maximum).
The website lists retailers and cashing agents by city, county, and zip code. There isn’t a map, but you will see the merchant’s name, address, and phone number.
Louisiana
The Louisiana Lottery lets you find retailers by city or zip code. From there, you can narrow your search to a radius between two and 25 miles. Unlike most states, the minimum age to buy tickets is 21 years.
Maine
Enter your zip code or town to find Maine Lottery retailers. This site doesn’t have an interactive map, although you can quickly receive a list of where to buy Mega Millions tickets.
Maryland
You can search for retailers by zip code or your current location in an interactive map with Maryland Lottery. Tap the “use my location” button to find lottery sellers nearby quickly.
Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Lottery marks the locations of each lottery sales agent on an interactive map. Ticket buyers can search for locations by city or zip code. There is also a search filter for sites based on ADA compliance.
Michigan
The Michigan Lottery permits residents to buy up to 20 Easy Pick tickets at a time online per drawing. You can find local retailers after entering the game name and city or your current location. One can enable a search filter to only list locations that accept credit cards.
Minnesota
Enter your location, complete address, city, or zip code on the Minnesota Lottery to find sites. You can reduce your radius to 10, 25, or 50 miles.
Mississippi
Mississippi Lottery lets you zero in on your closest retailers by entering your address or zip code. The search results display in a list format underneath the interactive map if you don’t want to click on the retailer’s map pin. Further, you must be at least 21 years old to purchase lottery tickets.
Missouri
The Missouri Lottery has you enter the city name or zip code. You must designate the game type (draw games, Keno, etc.) to see a list of eligible retailers. Clicking on a retailer name takes you to a map with the location you can tap to receive navigation directions.
Montana
Enter your address, city name, or zip code to find Montana Lottery retailers. The search filter also includes Treasure Play retailers, a separate program exclusive to taverns and casinos.
Nebraska
The Nebraska Lottery filters results by zip code, city, or county across the expansive state. There isn’t an on-site map, so you must plug the locations into your phone’s GPS to find the nearest location.
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Lottery is one of the most accessible states to buy Mega Millions tickets. When you enable the auto-renewal feature, you can use their online iLottery platform for one-time and recurring ticket purchases when you enable the auto-renewal feature. There is also the option to find in-store lottery retailers by typing your city name or zip code.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Lottery website provides instructions on playing Mega Millions and claiming winning tickets but doesn’t have a retailer search tool. Convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores are excellent starting points to inquire about buying tickets locally.
New York
You can enable location services or type a street address into the interactive search bar to find the closest New York Lottery retailers. The interactive map accepts city and zip code search inquiries for broad explorations.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Education Lottery lets you buy tickets online from the lottery website. You can find nearby retailers by enabling your phone or browser’s location services and by entering your zip code or county.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Lottery lets you buy tickets electronically with its Pick & Click platform. There is also a map with retailer pins that you can scroll and zoom, but you cannot type in a specific address, city, or zip code to pinpoint the closest ticket-selling location.
Ohio
Search for over 9,800 Ohio Lottery locations by entering your city or zip code. Activating location services can also be a quick way to find the closest retailer.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Lottery facilitates Mega Millions ticket sales at lottery retailers statewide that you can find by city, zip, or retailer name. You can also search for automated kiosks. Finally, Dollar General locations sell a Quickticket in increments of $4 and $10.
Oregon
Be sure to apply the Mega Millions filter when using the interactive map powered by the Oregon Lottery. The map lets you search by city, zip, or retailer name.
You may also consider buying tickets online through The Lotter, a legit Oregon Lottery courier service.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Lottery lets you buy up to five draws online, and you can sign up for recurring draws too. You can also find retailers within one mile by providing your location, address, city, or zip code.
Rhode Island
Find a Rhode Island Lottery retailer by city or zip code. Most retailers offer draw games, instant games, and Keno.
South Carolina
The South Carolina Lottery lets you search by business name, city, county, or zip code. Results appear as a list, and clicking the retailer’s name shows a map location.
South Dakota
You can find South Dakota Lottery retailers and vending machines by city, zip code, or street address. There is also an interactive map and the ability to see results within 50 miles.
Tennessee
The Tennessee Lottery looks for participating retailers by zip code. Its search features are relatively limited as there isn’t an interactive map to compare distances.
Texas
The Texas Lottery lets you find retailers by city or zip code. You will see a list of merchants, and you can click “Map” to view their geographic location.
Vermont
Browse agents and locations with Play Central by city or zip code. Scrolling through the interactive Vermont Lottery map with vendors all over the state is also possible.
Virginia
Virginia Lottery participants can buy Mega Millions tickets online. Players can also find retailers by zip code or county. The in-store filter can display locations with game machines only if you wish.
Virgin Islands
Whether you live or vacation on the U.S. Virgin Islands, lottery retailers are spread across St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Washington State
The Washington Lottery lets you find retailers by zip code, city, or street name. Additional filters are available to find the best place to buy Mega Millions tickets.
West Virginia
The West Virginia Lottery lists nearby retailers after you provide an address, city name, or zip code. Tapping the retailer’s name lets you see its location in Google Maps.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Lottery shows results by city or zip code. Either search option has a dropdown menu to speed up the search process.
Wyoming
More than 400 retailers sell WyoLotto tickets. Pinpoint the closest location by typing in your address, a city or zip code, or by enabling location services.
Summary
There you have it. Now you know where to buy Mega Millions tickets online & in every state before the next big draw. Live drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern. Whether you go with a basic $2 ticket or a $3 option, there is plenty of flexibility to have fun while playing the lottery.
If you’re not interested in the Mega Millions but enjoy games of chance, check out these games that pay real money.
