Where can you buy mega millions lottery ticket

In this July 26, 2022, Gordon Midvale fills out a lottery ticket inside a 7-Eleven store in Oakland, Calif. The Mega Millions lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion — only the fourth time a lottery game has reached such heights. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File) APAP

The Mega Millions prize took another lead forward, clocking in now at $1.28 billion.

At that level, it would be the second largest Mega Millions prize in the game’s 20-year history. The current record jackpot for Mega Millions is $1.537 billion, won on October 23, 2018. That winning ticket was sold in South Carolina and it remains the world’s largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket.

Tonight’s drawing will be conducted at 11 p.m. ET (10 p.m. CT) in Atlanta. You can watch here and we will post the winning numbers as soon as they are available.

Assuming there is a winner tonight, the lucky ticket holder can opt to take payments over 29 years or take the cash value - $747.2 million. Four Mega Millions jackpots have been won to date in 2022, in California, New York, Minnesota and Tennessee. The jackpots start at $20 million and grow based on game sales and interest rates. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 303 million.

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How much are tickets?

Mega Millions tickets are $2. In most jurisdictions, players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes.

Where can I buy a ticket?

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are not sold in Alabama, but are available in surrounding states.

Other states not selling tickets include Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

You can go here to see a list of states and locations where tickets are sold.

Can you buy a Mega Millions ticket online?

Yes – sort of.

If you live in Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, the District of Columbia or Virginia, you may buy Mega Millions tickets online. You can also purchase lottery ticket subscriptions if you live in New York.

However, you must be a resident of and be physically in their borders when making a lottery purchase online in these states.

Also, residents of New Jersey, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, D.C. can use the mobile app Jackpocket, a lottery mobile app that lets you purchase official tickets from licensed partners.

What is the cutoff time? When is the last time to buy Mega Millions tickets?

You can buy Mega Millions tickets up to 15 minutes before each scheduled drawing.

So, in this case on Friday, July 29, 2022, the last time to buy a Mega Millions ticket would be at 10:45 p.m. ET. (9:45 p.m. CT).

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

For most U.S. residents, buying a lottery ticket is as simple as going to the corner store. Mega Millions | Michigan Lottery

Update:

The Mega Millions pot is now up to $1.28 billion. The cash option is $747.2 million.

It remains the second-highest amount in Mega Millions history. Friday’s drawing is at 11 p.m. ET (10 p.m. CT) and you can watch here.

Earlier:

For $2 a ticket, you could become a billionaire – or at least really, really rich – after Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing.

For most U.S. residents, buying a lottery ticket is as simple as going to the corner store. People in five states, Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah, must travel to other states to pick up their ticket.

Every state surrounding Alabama sells Mega Millions tickets at numerous locations. You can go here to see a list of places to buy a ticket.

One thing to keep in mind, however. Because the Mega Millions tickets are sold by individual lotteries, any winning tickets must be redeemed in the state in which they were purchased. Lotteries typically have claim-by-mail options for most prize levels, so check with where your ticket is purchased.

The current prize is up to $1.02 billion for a winner opting for yearly payments. The cash option is $602.5 million. The next drawing is Friday, July 29 at 11 p.m. ET (10 p.m. CT).

READ MORE:

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Mega Millions now at $1.02 billion: No winner Tuesday night; when is next lottery drawing?

Raising Cane’s: Did founder win Mega Millions after buying 50,000 tickets? Here’s the answer

Can you buy a Mega Millions ticket online?

Yes, you can buy a Mega Millions ticket online. Sort of.

According to the Mega Millions website:

“If you are in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or the District of Columbia, you may buy Mega Millions tickets online by registering with the lotteries in those jurisdictions. You may also purchase subscriptions for Mega Millions online in New York. In most cases, you must be residents of these jurisdictions to participate in these purchase options, but in all cases you must be physically within their borders when you make any online ticket purchases. Details may be found on those lotteries’ websites (see Where to Play).”

Be careful purchasing tickets online – it’s an area rife with scammers.

No matter where you get your ticket, you might not want to quit your day job just yet. The chances of winning are roughly 1 in 302.5 million.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.