Mega Millions tickets can be purchased from lottery retailers/agents in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands, the lottery states on its website. For specific retailers, players are encouraged to use the Where to Play section on the lottery’s website and search by state.

Additionally, there are some states where players can purchase tickets online. “If you are in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or the District of Columbia, you may buy Mega Millions tickets online by registering with the lotteries in those jurisdictions,” according to Mega Millions‘ FAQ section.

According to Mega Millions’ website, you do not need to be an American citizen to purchase a lottery ticket, or win a prize.

“Visitors to the United States are always welcome to purchase tickets for our game from an American lottery retailer while they are visiting this country; you do not need to be a resident to win,” the lottery confirms.

The Mega Millions lottery is played in 45 states, Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands.

However, because lottery rules vary state by state, it means there are only some states that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous - while others require individuals to disclose their identity.

Maintaining anonymity is only permitted in 16 US states, including Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, New Jersey, Texas, and Wyoming.

Additionally, these states may have their own limitations or restrictions, such as prize thresholds or a limited time period where a person can remain anonymous. For example, the names of those who win $600 or more in the Arizona lottery are confidential for 90 days after the prize has been awarded, and they can choose to remain anonymous if they win $100,000 or more. 

If a player has a ticket that matches just the gold Mega Ball, they win $2, which is the cost of each Mega Millions ticket.

To play the Mega Millions lottery, players can pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers from one to 70 (the white balls) and one number from one to 25 (the gold Mega Ball), according to Mega Millions’ website.

To win the grand prize, players must have a ticket that matches all six numbers drawn.

However, players who don’t win the jackpot can still win smaller prizes, as Mega Millions notes that there are “a total of nine ways to win a prize in Mega Millions, ranging from the jackpot down to $2”.

Players who match all five white balls but not the gold Mega Ball walk away with the second biggest prize of $1m, while players who match four white balls and the gold Mega Ball win $10,000.

If the grand prize continues to grow, which it is expected to, it will surpass the previous second-largest lottery jackpot.

The title is currently held by the $1.586bn Powerball jackpot, which was won on 13 January 2016 by tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee.

The largest lottery grand prize ever recorded was won the $2.04bn Powerball jackpot won by a single ticket in California on 7 November 2022.

Whether it’s $1bn or $1.58bn, winning a lottery jackpot typically means a life-changing amount of money. However, a previous lottery winner has revealed that there are some things that do not change when you win millions of dollars.

Although the chances of winning the grand prize are slim, there are a few things that lottery players need to know if they do find themselves with a winning ticket.

From keeping the win a secret to whether you should sign a winning ticket, this is what lottery players should consider before making any decisions at all.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing, hopeful players have started fantasising about the purchases they would make if they were to win the grand prize.

“Alright y’all I bought my Mega Millions tickets so now I get to live in a delusional fantasy of what I’d do with the money until they draw the numbers,” one person tweeted.

On Tuesday, the Mega Millions lottery revealed on its website that the estimated grand prize of $1.55bn had jumped to $1.58bn ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing.

If a winner were to choose the lump-sum cash payment, they would walk away with $783.3m before taxes.