Mega Millions Number Picker

Mega Millions is a US multi-state lottery sold in 47 states (all except Alabama, Alaska and Nevada) plus DC and the US Virgin Islands. You pick 5 main numbers from 1 to 70 plus 1 Mega Ball from a separate pool of 1 to 25. Match all 6 to win the jackpot, which starts at $20 million and rolls until won. Draws happen Tuesday and Friday evenings (US time) with $2 tickets, or $5 with the Megaplier add-on that multiplies non-jackpot prizes.

The picker generates 5 main numbers (1 to 70) and 1 Mega Ball (1 to 25) with animated reveals. The jackpot odds are 1 in 302,575,350, which is among the longest of any major world lottery. Tickets are sold to legal US residents only; if you are visiting from overseas, you can buy in person at any participating retailer in a Mega Millions state.

The jackpot has hit record territory multiple times in the past decade, with the all-time high passing $1.6 billion in October 2018. The structure that produces these numbers is straightforward: a 1-in-302-million jackpot probability means most draws have no jackpot winner, so the prize rolls. Each rollover increases ticket sales (because of news coverage), which increases the prize fund, which extends the streak.

By the time Mega Millions hits $1 billion, it has typically gone 30+ draws without a winner and is selling 5 to 10 times its normal volume. The marginal expected value at that point is actually slightly positive in pure dollar terms, but the practical reality of taxes (federal plus state withholding can take 40%+) and the lump-sum vs annuity choice (the cash option is roughly half the headline jackpot) usually wipe that edge out. The [lottery odds comparison](/lottery-odds-comparison) shows Mega Millions side by side with Powerball and EuroMillions.

For an extra $1 per line ($3 total), you can add the Megaplier feature. This randomly multiplies any non-jackpot prize by 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x. It does not affect the jackpot. The Megaplier value is drawn separately, with weighted probability: 5x is rarer than 2x.

From a pure expected-value perspective, the Megaplier is roughly fair value but does not improve your edge against the house. It is most worth it if you are buying for prizes in the $500 to $5,000 range (where 5x can turn a useful prize into a meaningfully larger one). For jackpot-only chasers, the extra dollar is wasted money.

Mega Millions changed its number format in October 2017. The main pool went from 1 to 75 down to 1 to 70, while the Mega Ball pool went from 1 to 15 up to 1 to 25. The result was much longer jackpot odds (from 1 in 259 million to 1 in 302 million), but better odds on the smaller prizes. This change is why historical statistics from before October 2017 are not directly comparable to current draws.

If you see frequency-analysis lottery sites quoting 'most-drawn Mega Millions numbers since 2002', remember that any number above 70 in their main-ball stats is from before the format change and is no longer in the pool. The picker uses the current 1-to-70 main and 1-to-25 Mega Ball ranges, so the lines it produces are valid for any current draw.