Mega Millions California Guide: How To Play, Cutoff Time, & Where to Get Tickets

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Mega Millions is expected to have a jackpot worth at least $1.6 billion on Tuesday, October 23. Here’s a quick guide to everything you need to know if you’re playing in California.

Where to buy tickets: California has more than 23,000 locations. Find the one near you here or look for the luckiest retailers near you.

Can you buy tickets online? There’s no official way to buy tickets online in California. You can try an online service like LottoGopher to pay someone else to get your ticket.

When is the drawing? In California, the drawing takes place at 8 p.m. Pacific every Tuesday and Friday night.

How late are tickets sold? Drawings close at 7:45 p.m. Pacific.

What do you take home after taxes? If you win, you’ll have to deal with federal taxes. After federal taxes, you’ll lose about 24 percent of your gross prize, as calculated by USA Mega. If the jackpot is $1 billion, that means you’ll get 30 annual payments of $25.3 million after taxes or a lump sum of about $429.856 million after taxes.

How do you watch the drawing? If you want to watch the drawing on TV in California, CBS-8 in San Diego is one option, according to LotteryUniverse. You can also try a local WGN affiliate, or check out Heavy’s live stream.

Where is the California Lottery website? The California lottery website is here.

How do you play? You can play just by purchasing a $2 ticket. To play, pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and a Mega ball number from 1 to 25. You can also pick a Megaplier for $1 more, which can increase your wins. You’ll have the choice of either picking your own numbers or doing a “quick pick” where the numbers are picked for you at random.

• In order to win the jackpot, you’d need to match all five white balls and the yellow Mega ball.
• If you match all five white numbers only, you’ll win $1 million (and more if you’re using a Mega plier option.)
• If you match 4 white and the yellow, you’ll win $10,000.
• If you match 4 white only, you’ll win $500.
• If you match 3 white and 1 yellow, you’ll win $200.
• If you match 3 white only or if you match 2 white and 1 yellow, you’ll win $10.
• If you match a yellow ball and a white ball during tonight’s drawing, then you will walk away with $4. That’s enough to buy yourself two more tickets for $2 each in the next jackpot. But if you only match two white balls and don’t match the yellow ball, you won’t win anything.
• If you match one yellow ball (which is the last number drawn), then you’ll win $2. But if you only match one white number, then you also won’t win anything tonight.