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Maine (May 9, 2010)
Maine (May 9, 2010)


California and Ohio remain the two Mega Millions members without Powerball; however, Ohio will join Powerball on April 16, 2010 for the next day's drawing. It is likely this cross-selling arrangement is a temporary measure as the lotteries investigate the possibility of merging the two games to establish a single lottery.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_bi_ge/us_national_lottery_2</ref>
California remains the only Mega Millions members without Powerball. It is likely this cross-selling arrangement is a temporary measure as the lotteries investigate the possibility of merging the two games to establish a single lottery.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_bi_ge/us_national_lottery_2</ref>


==Current and future participating members==
==Current and future participating members==

Revision as of 04:34, 15 April 2010

File:Mega Millions logo.png
Mega Millions logo

Mega Millions is a US multi-jurisdictional $1 lottery game. Since May 2002, Mega Millions' advertised jackpots have started at US$12 million paid over 26 yearly installments (unless the cash option is chosen), increasing when there is no jackpot winner.[1] Reflecting common practice among American lotteries, the jackpot is advertised as a nominal value of annual installments. A lump sum (cash value) option, when chosen by a jackpot winner (see below), pays the approximate present value of the installments. Mega Millions currently uses a 5/56 (white balls) + 1/46 (the Mega Ball) matrix to select its winning numbers. Each game costs players $1; in most Mega Millions jurisdictions, players may opt to pay an extra $1 per game to multiply their non-jackpot prizes by up to 4x with the Megaplier. Mega Millions is drawn at 11 PM Eastern time Tuesdays and Fridays, including holidays. The drawings are held in Atlanta, Georgia.[2] Cutoff for ticket sales is 15 minutes before the scheduled drawing.

Mega Millions currently holds the record for the largest jackpot, set on March 6, 2007 when two tickets split a prize of $390 million (annuity).

The expansion of Mega Millions and Powerball in 2010

On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in U.S. lottery jurisdictions. The expansion occurred on January 31, 2010, as 23 Powerball members began selling Mega Millions tickets for their first drawing on February 2, 2010. On the same day, 10 Mega Millions members began selling Powerball tickets for their first drawing on February 3, 2010. Montana (joining Mega Millions on March 1, 2010) was the first jurisdiction to add either game after the cross-sell expansion. Nebraska (on March 20, 2010) and Oregon (March 28, 2010; both joining Mega Millions) have since joined the expansion. Mega Millions now is played in 38 jurisdictions and Powerball is available in 43, with 36 lotteries selling tickets for both games.

Future Mega Millions members: Arizona (April 18, 2010) Colorado (May 2010) Maine (May 9, 2010)

California remains the only Mega Millions members without Powerball. It is likely this cross-selling arrangement is a temporary measure as the lotteries investigate the possibility of merging the two games to establish a single lottery.[3]

Current and future participating members

U.S. jurisdictions with Mega Millions, as of January 31, 2010; note: the District of Columbia, Montana (joined March 1, 2010), Nebraska (March 20, 2010) and Oregon (March 28, 2010) also participate
U.S. jurisdictions with Powerball, as of January 31, 2010; the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands also participate. Thirty-six jurisdictions offer both games

PB = Powerball (Lotto*America until April 1992); MM = Mega Millions (The Big Game until May 2002)

Both Mega Millions and Powerball

Mega Millions only

Powerball only

History

The Big Game

The Big Game logo prior to the Mega Millions name change.

Tickets went on sale in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia on August 31, 1996, for the new lottery then known as The Big Game. Drawings were held weekly on Fridays.

The Georgia Lottery was a member of MUSL at the time and wanted to sell both games for the remainder of that year; however, within a few days, Georgia was forcibly removed from MUSL, returning with the cross-selling expansion.

Beginning in January 1999, jackpot winners had the choice to claim the prize in cash.

In May 1999, New Jersey joined The Big Game, the only jurisdiction to do so before the change to Mega Millions.

The Big Game Mega Millions

New York and Ohio joined The Big Game on May 15, 2002. This was when the game was changed to its second name, The Big Game Mega Millions, temporarily retaining the old name, and its "gold ball" logo. Also, the "Big Money Ball" changed its name to the "Mega Ball." After the game's name was altered, the yellow ball in the logo of the Mega Millions read "The Big Game." The first (The Big Game) Mega Millions drawing was held on May 17, 2002. Three more lotteries later joined: Washington (September 2002), Texas (2003), and California (2005). California was the last addition to Mega Millions before the cross-sell expansion of 2010. Montana joined Mega Millions on March 1, 2010, one month after the cross-sell expansion.

When Texas added Mega Millions in 2003, it offered an option available only to its players, the Megaplier, which is similar to Powerball's PowerPlay; the latter is available wherever Powerball is played. None of the other original (before January 31, 2010) Mega Millions members have added the Megaplier.

On June 24, 2005, to commemorate California joining Mega Millions, the drawing was held in Hollywood, with Carrie Underwood assisting Glenn Burns for the draw.

For the drawing of November 15, 2005, a group called "The Lucky 7" held the single ticket, bought in Anaheim, California, winning the $315 million jackpot. They chose the cash option, splitting $175 million before Federal tax.[7] This remains the largest prize won by a single ticket in Mega Millions.

On March 6, 2007, the Mega Millions jackpot reached $390 million,[8] which is the record for the largest jackpot total of any US lottery. The jackpot was divided by two tickets, which matched the winning numbers of 16-22-29-39-42; the Mega Ball was 20; both winners elected to receive their prize is cash, with each share $116,557,083 before taxes.[9]

Cross-sell expansion of 2010

The New Jersey Lottery, as well as some others in early 2009, announced it would seek permission to sell Powerball tickets alongside Mega Millions. In October 2009, an agreement between Mega Millions and MUSL allowed all US lotteries, including New Jersey's, to offer both games. On January 31, 2010, Mega Millions expanded to include 23 Powerball lotteries. As of that date, 35 jurisdictions were participating in Mega Millions. On the same day, 10 existing Mega Millions lotteries began selling Powerball tickets. California and Ohio remain as the only two jurisdictions to sell Mega Millions exclusively. Ohio, however, is expected to start selling Powerball tickets as of April 16, 2010, although the start date is not official. On March 1, 2010, Montana became the first Powerball member to add Mega Millions after the cross-sell expansion. On March 20, 2010, Nebraska became the 37th Mega Millions member. On March 28, 2010, Oregon became the 38th Mega Millions member; 36 lotteries now offer both games.

Presumably due to their experience with the PowerPlay option for Powerball, all 23 lotteries joining Mega Millions on January 31, 2010 decided to offer the Megaplier to their players. The Megaplier continues to be drawn by Texas Lottery computers, as some Mega Millions members continue without the Megaplier. Montana, offering Powerball before the expansion date, became the 24th lottery to offer the Megaplier. Nebraska, also offering Powerball before the expansion date, became the 25th lottery to offer the Megaplier. Oregon, offering Powerball before the expansion date, became the 26th lottery to offer the Megaplier.

On March 13, 2010, New Jersey became the first of the Mega Millions members (just before the cross-sell expansion) to produce a jackpot-winning ticket for Powerball after joining Powerball. The ticket is worth over $211 million annuity. None of the Powerball-only lotteries just before the cross-sell expansion have produced a jackpot winning ticket for Mega Millions.

Playing the game

Basic game

Since June 2005,[10] a player picks, or allows the lottery terminal to pick, five different numbers from 1 to 56 (white balls) and one number from 1 to 46 (the Mega Ball number, a gold-colored ball).[11] The Mega Ball number is drawn from a separate machine, so it can be a duplicate of one of the white ball numbers. The Mega Ball number cannot cross over to be used for matching a white ball number, or vice versa. Each play (a selection of six numbers for one draw) costs $1. Tickets may be obtained from either retail locations, or by mail through some lotteries.

Like other games that use "power" balls, two machines are used. The model used for Mega Millions is the Criterion II, manufactured by Smartplay International of Edgewater Park, New Jersey. The balls are moved around by means of counter-rotating arms which mix the balls in a random fashion. One by one, the winning numbers drop through a hole in the bottom of the mixing drum. The 56 balls in the first machine are white; the 46 Mega Balls are gold.

Previous incarnations of The Big Game and Mega Millions have used different matrices:

Date Pick 5 out of Pick 1 out of
September 9, 1996 50 25
January 13, 1999 50 36
May 15, 2002 (became Big Game Mega Millions) 52 52
June 22, 2005 (current) 56 46

Megaplier (optional)

Mega Millions players in 27 of its 38 jurisdictions have the option to activate a multiplier called Megaplier: functionally similar to Powerball's PowerPlay. By doubling the wager, players have an opportunity to multiply any non-jackpot prize by 2x, 3x, or 4x. The Megaplier is drawn in Texas by a random number generator (RNG). However, the Megaplier differs from Powerball in three ways: (1) There is no 5x Megaplier; (2) the 5+0 prize in Mega Millions is not automatically the highest multiplier; (3) the odds for each Megaplier possibility is not uniform. The 4x multiplier is heavily weighted so that it has a 12 in 21 chance of being selected. times.[12]

Megaplier Odds
2x 2:21 (9.5%)
3x 7:21 (33.3%)
4x 12:21 (57.1%)

Despite not having a 5x possibility, the extra weighting for a higher Megaplier results in the average expected Megaplier to be 3.476x over the long term. This is similar to Powerball's Powerplay long-term expectation of just over 3.5x.

The Kicker (Ohio)

Mega Millions players in Ohio can play an add-on game, called The Kicker, for an extra $1 per ticket (rather than per game). Six digits (0-9) are printed on every Ohio Mega Millions ticket below the Mega Millions numbers, whether or not The Kicker is played. A The Kicker ticket matching all six digits in exact order wins $100,000; there are smaller prizes also available. This option continues to be available only in Ohio despite the January 31, 2010, expansion of Mega Millions to Powerball members. The Kicker has been an exclusive Ohio Lottery add-on game that began in 1988 in conjunction with a former game. "The Kicker" has been an Ohio Lottery add-on game to Mega Millions since 2005.

Winning and odds

As of 2009, a player wins a prize according to the following chart:

Matches[13] Prize Approximate
probability
of winning
Normal balls
(pool of 56) 		Mega ball
(pool of 46)
5 1 Jackpot[14] 1 in 175,711,536[15]
5 0 $250,000 1 in 3,904,701[16]
4 1 $10,000 1 in 689,065[17]
4 0 $150 1 in 15,313[18]
3 1 $150 1 in 13,781[19]
3 0 $7 1 in 306[20]
2 1 $10 1 in 844[21]
1 1 $3 1 in 141[22]
0 1 $2 1 in 75[23]

Overall odds: 1 in 39.89.

In California, the amounts for all prizes are paid on a parimutuel basis, rather than the fixed lower-tier amounts for winners in the other 37 Mega Millions lotteries.

Currently, Mega Millions (1:~176 million) has better jackpot odds than Powerball (1:~195 million).

To put these odds in perspective, in the US in 2008 there were 1.03 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.[24] A person living one mile from a retailer selling Mega Millions tickets is 3.6 times as likely to die in an accident traveling to and from that store (2 miles) than winning the Mega Millions jackpot on a $1 play. Jackpot odds = 1 in 176 million; death odds = 2 miles * 1.03 deaths/100 million miles); 1 jackpot = 2 * 1.03 * 176 million/100 million = 3.63 deaths.

Payment options

In Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas, players must also choose, in advance, whether they wish to collect a jackpot in cash or annuity. Georgia and New Jersey winners can change an annuity ticket to cash; however, the choice is binding in New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

If a jackpot prize is not claimed within the required time limit, each of the participating Mega Millions members get back all the money they contributed to that jackpot. The 36 jurisdictions use unclaimed prizes for different purposes; an unclaimed Mega Millions jackpot is most likely distributed towards educational purposes.[25][26]

In 2007, a $31 million prize went unclaimed in New York.[27] Many prizes of $250,000 each have been unclaimed, including several in Michigan for 2007 drawings.[28]

Claiming prizes

Mega Millions winners have either 180 days (California non-jackpot prizes only) or one year to claim prizes, including the jackpot (although some Mega Millions winners lose the right to collect a jackpot in cash if they wait more than 60 days after the drawing).

The minimum age to purchase a Mega Millions ticket is 18, except in Nebraska, where it is 19, and Iowa (21.) Generally (an exception is Virginia), minors can win on tickets received as gifts; the rules according to each Mega Millions member vary for minors receiving prizes. (Two future Mega Millions members, Arizona and Louisiana, each have a minimum age of 21 for purchasing tickets.)

Laws and regulations vary slightly and are governed by the applicable laws in the jurisdiction where the ticket is sold, and the winner's home residence (e.g. if a New Jerseyan buys a winning ticket near their workplace in Manhattan.) Mega Millions winnings are generally exempt from state income tax in California; Texas and Washington have no state income tax. On the other hand, residents of New York City and Yonkers, New York pay city tax in addition to state and federal taxes.

The draw

Drawings are usually held at WSB-TV in Atlanta at 11:00 PM Eastern time on Tuesdays and Fridays. Formerly, the host was WSB's chief meteorologist, Glenn Burns. Now, most drawings are emceed by the new full-time host of Georgia Lottery drawings, John Crow, with Courtney Cason subbing on occasion. For jackpots in excess of $200 million, the drawing is sometimes moved to Times Square in New York City, with New York Lottery announcer Yolanda Vega hosting the draw.

Before January 31, 2010, Mega Millions was the only multi-jurisdictional lottery whose drawings were carried nationally, instead of airing only in participating jurisdictions; that was until the Powerball drawings also began to air after that date nationally via cable superstation WGN-TV in Chicago. WGN-TV simulcasts the Mega Millions drawings on its national WGN America superstation feed on Tuesdays and Fridays immediately following WGN-TV's 9 p.m. (Central time) newscast with the Powerball drawings being aired on Wednesdays and Saturdays after the 9 p.m. newscast (though both drawings air a minute later than on some television stations that carry either drawing).

Record jackpots

Cash Value Advertised Jackpot Drawing Date Winners Description
$233.1M $390M March 6, 2007 Two tickets (GA, NJ) World's largest jackpot
$180M $363M May 9, 2000 Two tickets (IL, MI) Largest The Big Game jackpot
$214M $336M August 28, 2009 Two tickets (CA, NY) NY winner elected annuity (the choice was made when playing)
$194.5M $330M August 31, 2007 Four tickets
$175M $315M November 15, 2005 Anaheim, CA Largest single winning MM ticket (7 claimants)

Miscellany

In the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the legislature in Albany, fearing a monumental loss of revenue, passed legislation the following month, which was signed by Gov. George Pataki, that included joining a multi-jurisdictional lottery game. Around the same time, for entirely different reasons, Ohio's governor also gave the green light to joining a multi-jurisdictional game. Both lotteries opted to join the then-The Big Game, which, at the time, had seven members. The added populations of the two new jurisdictions, in turn, led to a larger double matrix (actually, the first machine continued to hold 52 balls, while 16 gold balls were added in the second, meaning there were 52 numbers to pick from in each part of a $1 game.) On May 15, 2002, the game was renamed The Big Game Mega Millions; soon after, it became just Mega Millions. Except for the 2010 cross-selling expansion, this was the only time The Big Game, Mega Millions, or Powerball simultaneously added more than one lottery.

In 2005, Mega Millions was the target of a mailing scam. A letter bearing the Mega Millions logo was used in a string of lottery scams designed to trick people into providing personal financial information by cashing bogus checks. The letter, which had been sent to people in several states via standard mail, included a check for what the scammers said was an unclaimed Mega Millions prize. If the check was cashed, it bounced, but not before the bank stamped it with a routing number and personal account information and sent it back to the fraudulent organization, providing them with the recipients' financial information.[29]

A budget impasse due to the 2006 New Jersey Government shutdown led to the temporary closing of less-important state agencies on July 1, 2006. Among the casualties were the Atlantic City casinos and the New Jersey Lottery. Not only were the in-house games (such as New Jersey Pick 6) not drawn for about a week, but all its lottery terminals were shut down, meaning Mega Millions could not be played in New Jersey, even though Mega Millions was drawn as usual.

Elecia Battle made national headlines in January 2004 when she claimed that she had lost the winning ticket in the Mega Millions drawing of December 30, 2003.[30] She then filed a lawsuit against the woman who had come forward with the ticket, Rebecca Jemison. Several days later, when confronted with contradictory evidence, she admitted that she had lied.[31] She was charged with filing a false police report the following day. As a result of this false report, Battle was fined $1,000, ordered to perform 50 hours of community service, and required to compensate the police and courts for various costs incurred.[32]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ FAQs, Mega Millions, Retrieved on 2009-01-12
  2. ^ http://www.megamillions.com/faqs/#4
  3. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_bi_ge/us_national_lottery_2
  4. ^ http://www.coloradolottery.com/index.cfm/id/63/newsid/357/
  5. ^ http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_lottery/2010/02/florida-lottery-no-decision-on-mega-millions.html
  6. ^ http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_lottery/2009/10/florida-lottery-hasnt-decided-if-it-wants-mega-million.html
  7. ^ http://www.megamillions.com/winners/winner.asp?bioID=94FAEA2C-A966-44C3-8D6C-620756BEDFBA&startItem=1
  8. ^ Megamillions.com
  9. ^ Megamillions.com
  10. ^ Michigan Lottery Through the Years, State of Michigan, Retrieved on 2009-01-12
  11. ^ How To Play, Mega Millions, Retrieved on 2009-01-12
  12. ^ http://www.molottery.com/mega_millions/mega_millions.jsp
  13. ^ Matches are uniform in all Mega Millions jurisdictions, except in California, where all prizes, including the jackpot, are pari-mutuel (payouts are based on sales and the number of winners.) All other Mega Millions lotteries set the second through ninth prizes at pre-determined amounts, although in rare cases they can be reduced.
  14. ^ If more than one ticket wins the jackpot, the prize is equally divided among the winning tickets. Winners have one year to collect the jackpot; for other prizes, the deadline also is one year, except in California, where it is 180 days. Other than in New York, Oklahoma, and Texas (see above), a jackpot winner has 60 days from the drawing, or in some jurisdictions, 60 days after claiming, to choose cash or annuity. The relative value of a prize paid in cash fluctuates, and is roughly 60% of the annuity amount. The minimum jackpot prize is $12 million, disbursed in 26 annual payments, or a cash payout of about $7 million (depending on interest rates.)
  15. ^ Google.com
  16. ^ Google.com
  17. ^ Google.com
  18. ^ Google.com
  19. ^ Google.com
  20. ^ Google.com
  21. ^ Google.com
  22. ^ Google.com
  23. ^ Google.com
  24. ^ DOT.gov
  25. ^ Frequently Asked Questions
  26. ^ What Happens to Unclaimed Prizes?
  27. ^ Many major U.S. lottery prizes unclaimed - UPI.com
  28. ^ Michigan.gov , Lottery - Top Unclaimed Prizes
  29. ^ Mega Millions Logo Officials Warn of Lottery scams - ScamFraudAlert
  30. ^ "Women argue over 'lost' jackpot". BBC News. 2004-01-06. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  31. ^ "Midwest: Ohio: Apology For Lottery Claim". The New York Times. 2004-01-09. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  32. ^ "Midwest: Ohio: Lottery Tale Costs Her $6,596". The New York Times. 2004-04-07. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
Preceded by World's largest lottery jackpot
May 9, 2000–February 18, 2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World's largest lottery jackpot
March 6, 2007–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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