Mega Millions Cut Off Time Near Me: How Late Can You Buy Tickets?

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With no one winning Mega Millions recently, the total prize has grown significantly. If you’re like a lot of people, then you’ll likely be waiting until the last minute to buy tickets, such as after you get off work or right before dinner. So just how late can you push buying those tickets on the day of a drawing? The drawing takes place at 11 p.m. Eastern (10 p.m. Central) every Tuesday and Friday night.  But most places stop selling tickets a little earlier than that.

Many states will shut down Mega Millions ticket sales 15 minutes before the drawing, but other states will stop sales an hour before. We’ve worked to put together a list of state-by-state cutoff times. However, individual stores may choose their own hours, and sometimes state rules can change. So if you’re really pushing it close, you might want to call your nearest gas station or convenience store first, just to make sure you’re not wasting a trip.

Alabama: Mega Millions is not played here.

Alaska: Mega Millions is not sold here.

Arizona: Cut-off time is 6:59 p.m. local time for all draw games (7:59 p.m. after daylight savings time.) Sales for the next drawing will resume at 7:04 and 8:04 p.m. respectively. Find a retailer here.

Arkansas: Draw sales end at 9:45 p.m. Central Tuesday and Friday.

California: Drawings close at 7:45 p.m. Pacific.

Colorado: No ticket sales Tuesday and Friday between 7:30 and 7:33 p.m., Monday and Wednesday and Thursday between midnight and 4:30 a.m., and Sunday between midnight and 8 a.m.

Connecticut: On draw night, ticket sales close at 10:45 p.m. and reopen at 11:15 p.m.

Delaware: Tickets on sale up to 9:45 p.m. on drawing days.

Florida: Sales end at 10 p.m. on drawing days, to allow adequate time for all 46 member lotteries to transmit their data.

Georgia: Closing time not clear. Contact your retailer for details.

Hawaii: Mega Millions is not sold here.

Idaho: Drawing time is 9 p.m. MT on Tuesdays and Fridays. Exact closing time unclear. Call retailer for details.

Illinois: The Mega Millions cut off time isn’t completely clear. But if Illinois follows the same pattern it does for Powerball, then the cutoff time would be one hour before the drawing in retail stores and three hours online. Call your retailer for details.

Indiana: Sales on drawing dates cut off at 10:44 p.m. Eastern.

Iowa: Cut off time is 8:59 p.m. on draw days.

Kansas: Players have until 8:59 p.m. on draw days to get tickets.

Kentucky: The exact cut-off time isn’t clear. Call you retailer for details.

Louisiana: Purchase your ticket by 9 p.m.

Maine: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m. Eastern on the day of the drawing.

Maryland: Cut-off time is 15 minutes prior to the drawing.

Massachusetts: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m.

Michigan: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m the day of the drawing in retail stores and online.

Minnesota: Cut-off time is 9 p.m. on the day of the drawing.

Mississippi: Mega Millions is not played here.

Missouri: No ticket sales are made Tuesdays and Fridays between 8:59 p.m. and 10 p.m, and daily between 2 and 5 a.m.

Montana: Drawings close at 8 p.m. local time, an hour before the drawing.

Nebraska: The exact cut-off time is unclear. Call your retailer for details.

Nevada: Mega Millions is not played in this state.

New Hampshire: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m.

New Jersey: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m. Eastern.

New Mexico: Cut-off is 8:45 p.m. Mountain Time on draw days, and sales resume at 8:55 p.m.

New York: Ticket sales stop at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights, and 3:30 a.m. other days.

North Carolina: Draw times end at 10:45 p.m on the day of the drawing.

North Dakota: You must purchase your ticket before 8:58 p.m. Central on the day of the drawing.

Ohio: Cut-off time is 10:45 p.m. on draw days.

Oklahoma: Purchase tickets until 8:59 p.m. Central on the evening of the drawing.

Oregon: Cut-off time is Tuesdays and Fridays between 7-8:15 p.m. PST.

Pennsylvania: Cut-off time is 9:59 p.m. local time the day of a drawing.

Rhode Island: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m. on drawing nights.

South Carolina: Ticket sales stop at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.

South Dakota: Buy tickets until 9 p.m. Central/8 p.m. MT on the nights of the drawings.

Tennessee: Draw breaks begin at 9:45 p.m. Central (10:45 p.m. Eastern.)

Texas: Ticket sales not available during a draw break from 9:45-10:15 p.m. Central, and drawings are broadcast at 10:12 p.m.

Utah: Mega Millions is not played here.

Vermont: Cut-off time is 9:50 p.m.

Virginia: Tickets stop selling at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights.

Washington: Ticket sales cut-off Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:45 p.m. and resume at 8:01 p.m.

Washington D.C.: Buy tickets until 10:45 p.m. Eastern on draw nights.

West Virginia: Exact cut-off time is unclear. Find your retailer here and call for details.

Wisconsin: Cut-off time is 9 p.m. on draw days.

Wyoming: Draw breaks begin at 8 p.m. on the night of the drawing.

All it takes is $2 to get a chance at millions. Of course, your actual chance at winning those millions is pretty slim, but for many people it’s a chance that’s well worth taking. Tonight’s Mega Millions is worth an estimated $340 million, making it one of the larger ones in Mega Millions history.