Mega Millions
The jackpot and every prize tier, based on the current game matrix
Updated
Quick answer: the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336 per ticket, and the odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 23.
Calculate your own odds →Odds per single ticket, rounded to the nearest whole number. Prize amounts can change with game rules and multipliers, so confirm current amounts at megamillions.com.
| Match | Prize | Odds | Chance per ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Mega Ball | Jackpot | 1 in 290,472,336 | 0.000000344% |
| 5 | $1,000,000 | 1 in 12,629,232 | 0.000008% |
| 4 + Mega Ball | $10,000 | 1 in 893,761 | 0.000112% |
| 4 | $599 | 1 in 38,859 | 0.002573% |
| 3 + Mega Ball | $200 | 1 in 13,965 | 0.007161% |
| 3 | $10 | 1 in 607 | 0.165% |
| 2 + Mega Ball | $10 | 1 in 665 | 0.150% |
| 1 + Mega Ball | $4 | 1 in 86 | 1.16% |
| Mega Ball only | $2 | 1 in 35 | 2.86% |
Mega Millions players pick 5 white balls from 70 and 1 Mega Ball from 24. There are C(70,5) = 12,103,014 ways to choose the white balls, and multiplying by 24 gives 290,472,336 possible combinations, so the jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336.
Other tiers work the same way. To win the second prize you match all five white balls but miss the Mega Ball, which can happen in 23 of the 24 Mega Ball outcomes: 290,472,336 ÷ 23 = 12,629,232, or 1 in 12,629,232.
Before April 2025 the Mega Ball came from a pool of 25, which made the jackpot odds 1 in 302,575,350 (12,103,014 × 25). Cutting the pool to 24 improved the jackpot odds to 1 in 290,472,336 and changed the odds of every other tier. Older articles that still quote the previous numbers are out of date.
Approximate odds, treating each ticket as an independent play. Cost uses the $5 ticket price.
| Tickets | Cost | Jackpot odds | Chance of any prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ticket | $5 | about 1 in 290,472,336 | 4.3% |
| 10 tickets | $50 | about 1 in 29,047,234 | 35.9% |
| 104 tickets (one every drawing for a year) | $520 | about 1 in 2,793,003 | 99.0% |
| 1,000 tickets | $5,000 | about 1 in 290,472 | >99.9% |
Want a different number of tickets or weeks? Use the odds calculator.
Per ticket, the Mega Millions jackpot odds (1 in 290,472,336) are slightly better than Powerball's (1 in 292,201,338). Price changes the picture: a Mega Millions ticket costs $5 and a Powerball ticket $2, so the same money buys about 2.5 times more Powerball jackpot chances. Neither game is a good bet in the financial sense; both are best treated as entertainment. See the full comparison in Powerball vs. Mega Millions, or the Powerball odds page.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336 per ticket. You need to match all five white balls (from 70) and the Mega Ball (from 24).
The overall odds of winning some prize are about 1 in 23 per ticket. Most of those wins are the smallest tiers, such as matching only the Mega Ball.
Matching all five white balls but not the Mega Ball wins the $1 million second prize, at odds of 1 in 12,629,232 per ticket.
Yes. In April 2025 the Mega Ball pool changed from 25 numbers to 24, which moved the jackpot odds from 1 in 302,575,350 to 1 in 290,472,336 and changed the odds of every other prize tier.
Per ticket, the Mega Millions jackpot odds (1 in 290,472,336) are slightly better than Powerball's (1 in 292,201,338). But a Mega Millions ticket costs $5 versus $2, so the same money buys about 2.5 times more Powerball jackpot chances.
Your chance rises in direct proportion to the tickets you buy, but it starts from a tiny number. Even 1,000 tickets leave you at roughly 1 in 290,472 for the jackpot.