HOW TO PLAY

MEGA MILLIONS is easy to play. Ask your New Jersey Lottery Retailer for a MEGA MILLIONS bet slip. Each board you play on a MEGA MILLIONS bet slip costs $1.00. Up to five boards can be played on a bet slip. To play a board, you must select five numbers from 1 to 52 in the upper shaded board box and select one (1) Gold Mega Ball number from 1 to 52 in the lower white board box. Or you have the option to select the Quick Pick (QP) box, and the Green Machine will randomly pick your numbers for you. You can even play the same numbers for up to eight consecutive drawings by marking the appropriate box under "Multidraw" on your bet slip. The play must include the current draw and not skip draws in between. Check your bet slip carefully to make sure you have correctly marked the numbers you want before presenting it to the agent. Once a ticket has been printed, it cannot be cancelled. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. The MEGA MILLIONS member states are New Jersey, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington State.   Back to the top

ODDS & PRIZES

MATCH PRIZE* ODDS (per $1 play)   JACKPOT** 1 : 135,145,920   $175,000 1 : 2,649,920   $5,000 1 : 575,089   $150 1 : 11,276   $150 1 : 12,502   $10 1 : 833   $7 1 : 245   $3 1 : 152   $2 1 : 88

CHOOSE HOW TO GET PAID

Select how you want to get paid when you buy your ticket - either Annuity or Cash. Select Annuity if you want to be paid the jackpot amount over a 26-year period, or select Cash if you want to be paid the jackpot amount in a lump sum.

Why Is This Choice Important?
Winners who choose Annual Installment Payments will be taxed on each year's winnings as they receive them. Winners who choose Lump-Sum Payments will be taxed on the entire amount all at once.

Why Is the Cash Option Jackpot Less Than the Advertised Jackpot?
Mega Millions jackpots are advertised at the estimated amount of the 26-year Annual Installment Payments. With Installment Payments, the first annual payment is approximately 1/26th of the estimated jackpot amount. For the remaining 25 years, we buy Government Security or Treasury Bonds, which earn interest annually. That annual return is the amount winners receive each year.

Example*:
If the New Jersey Lottery estimates a jackpot of $11 million, the approximate Lump-Sum cash value is $6.3 million. With the Lump-Sum Payment, the winner may receive the $6.3 million in one payment, less the required 25% federal tax withholdings. With the Installment Payments, the winner receives $11 million over a 26-year period, less the required 25% federal tax withholdings.

*Dollar amounts are based on payments to a single jackpot winner, sales, and fluctuating interest rates.

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HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE

When you win, sign the back of your ticket immediately. Then take it to any New Jersey Lottery Retailer for validation. New Jersey Lottery winners can claim a prize worth $599.50 or less at any New Jersey Lottery Retailer and be paid cash at the time of the claim. A winner claiming a prize over $599.50 can do so at their New Jersey Lottery Retailer or at Lottery Headquarters. However, they must fill out a claim form, and the winnings will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. It takes approximately three weeks to receive a check from the New Jersey Lottery. Top-prize Pick-6 Lotto winners must contact Lottery Headquarters in Lawrenceville and present their ticket in person. Proper identification for tax purposes must be presented at the time of the claim.

Guidelines For Participating in Office Pools

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CHECK TO SEE IF YOU'VE WON

Watch it! MEGA MILLIONS drawings are held live every Tuesday and Friday evening at 11:00 PM on NJN, the New Jersey Network (TV channels 23, 50, 52, and 58, or check your local television or cable listings). You can also view the drawings on our Web site.

• Join the New Jersey Lottery VIP Club for our FREE daily Winning Numbers email service. Click here for more details.
• Call our NJ Lottery Results Line. Call 1-900-443-4444 for current and recent winning numbers results. The cost of the call is only 49¢ per minute. Current Lottery results are available after 8:30 PM.
• Check your daily newspaper or see any New Jersey Lottery Retailer for winning results.
• Write us! Winning numbers and payout information are also available by writing to:
  
  NJ Lottery
  PO Box 041
  Trenton, NJ 08625-0041
  Attn.: Customer Service

Did My Numbers Ever Win?

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FEDERAL TAX REQUIREMENTS FOR LOTTERY PRIZES

The Energy Policy Act of 1992, section 1942, requires the New Jersey Lottery to withhold a minimum 25% of all prize payments to any Lottery winner who has won more than $5,000 on any Lottery wager. At the end of the year, the winner will receive a W2-G form to properly credit the withholding as a tax payment on their federal income tax form.

New Jersey residents who win a New Jersey Lottery prize are not required to pay any New Jersey state income tax on their winnings. Winners who do not possess a social security number are subject to a 30% federal income tax deduction on any prize over $599.50.