Getty This illustration photo shows a Mega Millions lottery ticket in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2022.
A new Mega Millions drawing for $1.1 billion is happening tonight on Friday, July 29, 2022. The lottery drawing takes place every Tuesday and Friday night at 11 p.m. Eastern, but this one is special because it’s one of the largest jackpots in Mega Millions history. You can watch the drawing online live below using any of the links listed. Read on to learn how you can stream the Mega Millions drawing on your computer, phone, or mobile device.
How to Stream the Drawing Online
One of your first options for streaming the drawing is via WGN-TV at this link, where the station’s newscasts are streamed live. This video is embedded below, but you’ll want to use the link if it doesn’t work on your browser. Please note that it’s not guaranteed they will show the drawing live in the video below, so you’ll want some backups ready just in case it doesn’t work or the servers get overloaded.
Until the drawing airs, you’ll either see a live newscast or a replay of an older newscast below.
If the stream does not air the drawing, additional options are listed below.
Mississippi’s Official lottery website provides a page for streaming the lottery here. The stream is from WXXV, Gulfport.
You may also be able to watch on WSB-TV 2’s live stream (where the drawing actually takes place) which is available here. Lottery Universe recommends this link for watching the drawing online live. The link may show a previous broadcast before the lottery begins.
The Texas Lottery has a webcast you can watch at this link. Every day at 10:12 p.m. Central they live stream drawings at that link, which may include streaming the Mega Millions drawing.
WRAL also streams drawings here, but these may not always be available live.
According to NJ.com, you can also watch the drawing live as it airs on FuboTV, which carries stations like ABC and Fox that often air drawings live. FuboTV often comes with a seven-day trial.
Watching on Mobile
You may also be able to watch live streams on your phone via the LotteryHUB app. Download the iTunes app here. If it doesn’t show a stream, it will at least show the results of the drawing for you once they are known. On Google, you can use the My Lottos app, which won’t show a live stream but will show the results shortly thereafter.
On YouTube here, you’ll be able to watch a video of the drawing later in the day if you miss it when it happens.
When Is the Cutoff Time?
If you want to know when the cutoff time is for buying a ticket for the Mega Millions drawing, check out Heavy’s story here. The Mega Millions drawing takes place at 11 p.m. Eastern (10 p.m. Central) every Tuesday and Friday night. But most retailers stop selling tickets a little earlier than that, typically 15 minutes to an hour before the drawing. You’ll want to check the story or call a location near you to make sure they are still selling, if you have to buy a ticket close to the deadline.
The July 29 drawing is worth $1.1 billion, or a cash option of $648.2 million if you choose to just take a lump sum up front. Both amounts are before taxes.
Mega Millions’ website explains the difference between the two:
If you win a Mega Millions jackpot, you will choose how to be paid: Cash Option or Annual Payout. Prize claim parameters vary from state to state. Contact your Mega Millions lottery for detailed information.
Annuity option: The Mega Millions annuity is paid out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous one. This helps protect winners’ lifestyle and purchasing power in periods of inflation.
For a typical jackpot of $100 million, the initial payment would be about $1.5 million, and future annual payments would grow to about $6.2 million.
When the jackpot is $200 million, each payment is twice as big. When the jackpot is $50 million, each payment is half as big, etc.
Cash option: A one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.
So if you win the big jackpot, you’ll have a big decision to make about whether you’ll take the annuity option (which increases by 5% each year to help counter inflation) or the lump sum. You’ll ultimately get more money with the annuity, but you’ll have more cash right away with the lump sum. Of course, all of the estimated amounts are before federal taxes come into play, and before state taxes (if relevant) are calculated.