ABOUT USA MEGA MILLIONS
The USA Mega Millions lottery game initially started out as an American lottery called “The Big Game” in 1996. It was renamed to “The Big Game Mega Millions” 6 years later as it became a multi-jurisdictional lottery game. The game is offered in a total of 44 American states including the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. The first-ever draw for this popular game happened in the year 2002.
The USA Mega Millions has a starting point of $15 million. Winners of the jackpot can either choose to collect their winnings as a lump sum cash option or a 30-year annuity option. When there is no jackpot winner, the prize increases for the next draw.
At 11 pm Eastern Time, every Tuesday and Friday night the USA Mega Millions lottery draw takes place, even on holidays. The Mega Millions game itself is administered by a consortium of its 12 original lotteries. The location of the Mega Millions draw is the ABC studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The Georgian Lottery supervises all the draws.
Where Can I Play USA Mega Millions
As of September 2015, Mega Millions is available in 44 states, the states of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah, however, do not sell lottery tickets. This being said, the beauty of USA Mega Millions is that you can play online, which makes it a worldwide game, so no matter the country or state, you are pretty much good to play!
Mega Millions tickets started being sold in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia on the 31st of August, 1996. Mega Millions is the brainchild of lottery directors Rebecca Paul as well as Penelope W. Kyle at the time. Rebecca was director of the Georgian lottery, and Penelope was the director of the Virginia Lottery.
California joined the Mega Millions on the 24th of June, 2005. The event was commemorated in Hollywood with celebrity singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood helping Glenn Burns host the draw.
If you want to find out how the game works, check our Mega Millions Guide.
