How to play the Virginia Lottery

Find out more about the Virginia Lottery.

Mega Millions gives you NINE ways to win eight different prizes. Jackpots start at $12 million and have gone to more than $300 million. Second prize is a cool $250,000.

• Choose your own numbers on a playslip. Select five different numbers from 1 through 56, then select one Mega Ball number from 1 through 46.

• Or you can play Easy Pick and let the computer choose your numbers.

• Or you can use a combination of these play methods.

• Each play (six numbers) costs $1.00.

• The jackpot is pari-mutuel. All other prizes are fixed dollar amounts.
  
  Jackpot winners choose how they want to accept their prize.

Annual Payout is your share of the advertised jackpot in 26 guaranteed annual payments. The Virginia Lottery invests the jackpot prize pool in U.S. Treasury Bonds over a 26-year period. The advertised jackpot is the estimated total amount of pre-tax winnings payable over 26 payments. (If a winner dies, his or her heirs will inherit these payments.)

Cash Option is your share of the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool in ONE payment. The value of the payment depends on how much money is received when the U.S. Treasury Bonds are sold. Cash Option is roughly one-half of the total Annual Payout amount.

Mark the OPTIONAL PLAYS box for any of the following. Playing more than one drawing increases the ticket price by the number of drawings you choose.

Multi-Draw: Play more than one drawing, including the next.

Advance: Play any future drawing, or drawings, except the next.

Repeat: Your play repeats for more than one ticket.

Match all six numbers t win the Mega Millions jackpot. Check the chart here for all NINE ways to win a prize in Mega Millions.

If more than one ticket matches all six numbers in a drawing, winners will share the jackpot. Jackpot winners will choose Annual payout or Cash Option when they claim their prize. Jackpot prizes are pari-mutuel.

All other prizes are "fixed" prizes. If prize liability exceeds the prize-pool funding for fixed prizes, these prizes may be paid on a pari-mutuel basis and could be lower than these published prize levels. Refer to the official game rules for detailed explanation.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. On these days, the cut-off to buy tickets for that night's drawing is 10:45 p.m. Virginia's Mega Millions tickets cannot be canceled. All sales are final. Use a playslip to ensure that you pick the numbers you want. To play more than one drawing, mark the box on the playslip and tell the clerk how many drawings you want. Playing ahead will multiply your ticket price by that number of drawings.

Drawings are broadcast on WTVR (Channel 6) in Central Virginia, WAVY (Channel 10) in Hampton Roads, WDBJ (Channel 7) in Southwest Virginia and WCYB (Channel 5) in the tri-state area.

Because so many people play Mega Millions, jackpots get higher more quickly. States whose lotteries sell Mega Millions are Virginia, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington. Winning tickets bought in Virginia must be redeemed in Virginia.

You can play Virginia's Mega Millions with a subscription. Select your favorite numbers or choose Easy Pick. Each play costs $1 per drawing. You can play for 26, 52 or 104 drawings. Since drawings are held twice a week, 104 drawings would be a one-year subscription.

Subscribers must be at least 18 years old.

If you win the Mega Millions jackpot with a subscription, a representative from the Virginia Lottery will contact you with instructions on how to claim your prize.

If you win prizes from $150 to $250,000, the Lottery will mail a check to you within three weeks of the drawing. If you win $2, $3, $7 or $10 prizes, you will receive ONE check for the total of all those prizes at the END of your subscription.