What does it take to win at Mega Millions? This is one of the most frequent questions among those who love the lottery. That makes sense because Mega Millions is one of the most played lottery games in the world. The reason for that is simple – this is a simple game with stunning cash prizes.
Players that know this lottery game inside and out have better odds of winning one of the prizes present in this game including the jackpot prize. Additionally, by checking tips and advice offered by players that have experience in this field, you will have even better chances.
Knowledge, discipline, and luck – these are the things you need to possess if you want to win at Mega Millions. Thanks to our guide, you should be able to understand how to win at Mega Millions in the easiest way.
- Get familiar with the rules of this game
- Find out more about the chances of winning
- Read the best tips on winning at this game
Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula that can help players win at Mega Millions. If that was possible, some people would have won the main prize in this game a few times. However, with a good plan and by following a few tips, you should be able to boost the chances of winning at Mega Millions. Keep reading our guide if you want to find out more.
1. Playing the game like a pro – getting familiar with the rules of Mega Millions
You can’t expect to win a prize at any game if you are not sure how the game works. Luckily, it’s very easy to learn how to play Mega Millions. Before we share the details, let us say that every person that’s at least 18 years old regardless of almost any country in the world can play Mega Millions.
To start playing you will have to purchase a ticket and choose five numbers between 1 and 70 (white balls) and one number between 1 and 25 (the gold Mega ball). If you have played Powerball or you know how this game works, you won’t have any problems playing Mega Millions because the gameplay is basically the same.
Once you fill out the ticket, all you have to do is to wait for the drawings on Friday and Tuesday nights. Of course, to win the main jackpot prize, you will have to match all six numbers which can be quite difficult. But, even combinations with a smaller number of matching numbers will bring a cash prize to players.
- Playing Mega Millions is simple and easy
- Every person regardless of their citizenship can play Mega Millions if they are at least 18 years old
- You must match six numbers to get the main jackpot prize
2. Not that great chances, but spectacular prizes
The chances of winning are all about math. To be honest, these odds don’t look great and the numbers might turn you off, but if something like this happens, remember that dozens of people have won jackpots in the past. This means that there’s always a chance to win that multimillion prize.
To get a clearer picture of what players can expect, we will mention a few examples of chances of winning at Mega Millions. For instance, matching one white ball and one mega ball on a ticket comes with a 1 in 56 chance of winning.
Furthermore, matching three white balls and no mega ball has a chance of winning of 1 in 766. Lastly, the chance of winning the jackpot (matching 5 white balls and one Mega ball) is 1 in 258,890,850. The odds might be very slim, but the prizes are impressive.
- The chances of winning are different for different combinations of numbers
- Winning the jackpot prize is difficult, but not impossible
- The higher the odds, the better prizes you can expect
3. Choosing anniversaries and special dates as numbers might not be a good idea
There are many tips about winning at Mega Millions found online. By reading these tips, you might get a better idea about your chances of winning and how to play in the best possible way. One of these tips recommends avoiding anniversaries and dates used as numbers on your ticket.
This makes sense because if you are focused only on these numbers, you will have to forget the numbers that go over 31. You should not practice something like this if you want to boost your chances of winning. If you really want to get an idea about “good” numbers, you might want to focus on the most frequently drawn numbers in the last few years.
- Anniversaries and special dates used as numbers will limit the options
- Don’t forget that there are no lucky numbers
- You might want to check the most frequently drawn numbers though
4. Become a member of a lottery pool to boost the odds of winning
A method of cooperation or simply a lottery pool is a term used to describe a group of players who invest money to purchase a high number of tickets together. So, if any of these tickets wins a prize at Mega Millions, every participant will receive a part of that prize.
It’s not unusual for people to play Mega Millions together with their colleagues, friends, and family. Don’t forget that every participant is free to choose the amount of money they want to place in the lottery pool. Of course, this amount/percentage used by a player will affect the size of the prize they can expect to get.
- Teaming up with your friends or colleagues can increase the chances of winning
- Create a lottery pool with the people you know
- Make sure you know how much money each participant in the pool has brought
5. Use the megaplier to get great cash rewards even if you don’t hit the jackpot
Mega Millions gives players a chance to use a megaplier feature. By paying just a dollar more, the prize that you have won will be multiplied for up to five times. Remember that this multiplier is used only on non-jackpot winnings.
Before the Mega Millions draw begins, one number is drawn and this number represents the size of the multiplier – 2, 3, 4 or 5 times. Another thing that you should remember about the megapliers is that you cannot use them in the State of California due to the specific laws found there.
- Thanks to the megaplier option you can boost your winnings
- Only non-jackpot winnings can be multiplied in Mega Millions
- You can boost your win up to five times in this way
6. Don’t stop with just one ticket per drawing
Before you start playing, it’s a good idea to set a budget. This will be the money that you can afford to lose on a weekly basis without affecting your everyday life. Once you set a budget like this, you should start buying more than one ticket because this will increase your chances of winning at Mega Millions significantly.
Let’s highlight an example. If you purchase one ticket, the odds of winning a jackpot at Mega Millions are around 1 in 250 million. On the other hand, if you purchase ten tickets, the odds will be around 1 in 25 million.
- Set a budget and stick to it
- Don’t play with money that you can’t afford to lose
- Purchasing more tickets increases the chances of winning at Mega Millions