Mega Millions is an American lottery draw and one of the biggest there are in the world. Twelve states take part including some of the biggest cities, like New York and Washington. The more states take part and the more people play, the bigger the jackpot is – in fact, the basic guaranteed jackpot is $15 million dollars!

When you play Mega Millions, you need to pick six numbers. You pick five that are from the main white balls, anything from 1-56 – you can’t pick the same number twice. You then pick a golden ball, known as the Mega Millions ball from numbers 1-46. These balls can be the same as one of your main balls since it is drawn from a separate machine. It goes without saying that picking the winning numbers isn’t such an easy task because the possible combinations are numerous but nevertheless, plenty of people have won the big prize.

When trying to pick the winning numbers for Mega Millions think about how you want to choose them. Some people have to time to pick the numbers so go straight for a lucky dip choice, where the machine decides for you. Most people love to be able to have some personal input and choose their own numbers. The most popular numbers are occasions, birthdays and anniversaries as well as ages. This makes playing Mega Millions far more personal and if you win, more meaningful. However, remember that people’s birthdays and any date number won’t generally speaking go past 31 because of the amount of days there are in the year. Since Mega Millions goes up to 56, you will cut yourself out of the higher end of the numbers from 32 to 56. Try to include some of these numbers in when you are choosing your numbers – although theres no reason why you won’t win the prize with low numbers, the chances are everyone else is choosing similar ones to you.

Mega Millions will also let you take home a prize for matching a few numbers – you get the $2 prize if you match one ball – as long as it’s the Mega Millions gold ball. You can then get bigger prizes if you match three winning numbers, then four, then five, then all six gets you the jackpot- an amount which varies depending on the amount of winners and the amount of players. Don’t forget prizes can also roll over if there are no winners, meaning that the prize can get considerable larger, up to a staggering nine figures!

What is great about Mega Millions is that it’s easy to win – you can match as little as one ball to win a prize and essentially win back the price of the ticket – very few lotteries in the world will allow you to take home a prize for matching only one of the balls! From that point upwards there is a nice variety of prizes for matching a certain number of balls.

There are nine ways to win Mega Millions from matching one ball (with it being the special gold Mega Million ball) – any number from 1 – 46, and you get $2. Match one normal ball anything from 1-56 and one Mega Million ball and get $3. Match 2 standard balls and one Mega Million ball, and get $10. Match three standard balls and get $7. Next level is matching four numbers, either three standards and one Mega Millions ball or four normal ones for $150. Match four standard numbers and one Mega Millions ball for $10,000, and then match 5 normal numbers for $250,000. Match the five main numbers and one Mega Millions ball and claim the jackpot which will vary from week to week but starts at $15 million. The amount you win will depend on how many winners there are to win. The overall odds of winning any prize with Mega Millions is 1 in 40 – not too bad a percentage!

Winning Mega Millions is of course not that easy – the number pool is larger than of some other lotteries, therefore there are a greater number of possible outcomes. Having said that, the chance of winning any prize is high on Mega Millions, especially a smaller prize, which means you can get your ticket fee back and buy another too!

The Mega Ball, which is the gold ball, cannot be used to match up the numbers in the main draw and vice versa. The Mega ball is actually drawn separately from the standard balls which is why you can pick the same number in the prime as you do in the Mega Ball section.

If you play in Texas, there is an extra way to win a prize – players can pay another dollar and enter a second level prize, called Megaplier (similar to Dream Number in the UK National Lottery, an add-on game to go alongside the Lotto for an extra £1).

There’s only one way of winning Mega Millions though – making sure you get the right numbers! You can check the official website to see what numbers are being commonly drawn and if there are any reoccurring patterns. Safe to say the most recently drawn combinations probably won’t be drawn again in a hurry so avoid these it possible. Good Luck!

Therefore, when you buy the average of one or two lines in the lottery game the chances of you winning the jackpot is slim, but the chances of winning a secondary prize is slightly higher.

When you pick your lottery numbers, consider the two styles mentioned here – completely random and planned. Planned could be picking numbers of importance – certainly for people who are superstitious, they like to choose birthdays, house numbers, important dates, anniversaries etc. as winning numbers believing they will bring luck. Some people do more research and look at the numbers that are most commonly drawn then use them as lotto numbers.

For those who prefer random, there are different ways to do this – choosing randomly from the payslip, looking for odd patterns (as opposed to filling in a line or diagonally which is common). Also people sometimes use machines to pick – in the UK there is the lucky dip and other equivalents where the machine will decide on the numbers. You also have computers that generate random numbers, and plenty of websites online that will choose for you. You can also have a raffle at home, or use balls yourself to simulate a small lottery! Often if people have to think of the numbers by themselves, the result is not so random after all – we are all preconditioned to pick numbers that mean something to use or that we see as being lucky.

Some people swear by choosing randomly – they say the chances are increased as most people tend to pick in similar ways. For examples the number 7 is always favoured and seen as a lucky number, as is number 3. Numbers that are multiples of 7 are also very popular. By choosing randomly you will get combinations that are rarer and if they hit the jackpot, will bring in a bigger prize.

Also think about when you pick your numbers if you will play them over again or chance them for every game. Some people think that keeping your numbers once you have picked them means that eventually they will be drawn whereas if you continually change your entry, you can’t keep track of if you are getting any closer.

Having said that, there is no way to magically make your numbers appear in the lottery draw – if only there were! So just have fun picking your numbers whether you decide to use your gut instinct or something entirely different – the point of the lottery is that anyone can win it!

States that are involved in Mega Millions include California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Texas, Washington and Virginia. All the other states that play the lottery play the other major draw known as the Powerball games. Arkansas, the latest state to legalise gambling will decide later if it wants to join either of the major lottery draws.

To win any prize you have to match the numbers that are drawn – you choose five main numbers from number one to fifty six, then a bonus ball number from one to forty six. The smallest prize is for $2 and comes from matching one bonus ball number. Generally, getting a golden ball as well as a main ball will guarantee a bigger prize and you must get the Mega Millions ball to win the main jackpot.

The Mega Millions game is drawn using the traditional type of rotating drum where the balls are chosen one at a time. Mega balls are gold and the standard balls are white. The balls are drawn at random. You can pick the same number in the golden Mega Millions ball section as well as in the standard draw. You must pick six numbers altogether to play and there are no rules as to what sequences or patterns you can play in.

Once you have bought your ticket, don’t forget to check the Mega Millions results! Draws are help by WSB-TV in Atlanta at 11pm EST two days a week – Tuesday and Friday. When the jackpots rollover to large amounts, (sometimes as much as $200 million) the draw will be moved to a grander location like New York’s Times Square to mark the occasion.

You can watch the results by watching the lottery show, but if you can’t you can always check the results afterwards using an interactive television service, or listening to the radio. You can also check on the internet, where the results will be available 24/7 and also in the newspaper, if you aren’t near any media sources. Make sure you are checking the right Mega Millions game since so many are drawn. Check the date it was drawn and make sure it matches your ticket!

There are also automated services that you can use to check results – check the official Mega Millions sites to see the various ways you can check. IF you are playing a syndicate, don’t forget to check results – sometimes people will leave it to another member of the syndicate and they may forget or read the results wrong so always remember to look – otherwise you will never know if you win or not!

Sure it may seem pointless to look at past lottery numbers, because they have passed and the chances are, those numbers, or at least that combination wont be picked out again for a long, long time – if ever again. The fact is that numbers that are drawn don’t tend to be drawn again, not in the same sequence or in the same grouping because there are so many other possibilities.

But looking at past lottery numbers gives you a chance to see what is popular and what isn’t. Mathematicians and statisticians use past lottery numbers from various draws around the world to see what the trends are – which numbers tend to be lucky, which are rarely picked? There may not be a really reason as to why this is the case, but we can still study the numbers that appear to be ‘lucky’.

Past lottery numbers can be found in various sources but the best is on the internet because you can normally check the numbers from years gone by. Go on to the official lottery website to check the records, or you can use a reputable third party website. There are even websites that have been put together just discussing the type of numbers that are commonly picked out for the lottery as well as some rather complicated equations and formulas as to how you can guess the next lot of winning numbers! You can’t bet on it working though, otherwise there would be a sudden influx of people winning the lottery!

Learn how to use the websites search facilities – you can normally search past winning numbers by date, month, year or by the type of game, and also which draw date specifically, since some draws are made a few times a week. Don’t forget to look at winning ticket numbers too! Some jackpot numbers are drawn but aren’t actually won by anyone – why is this? What is it about these jackpots that aren’t won by people that make them so unusual that not even millions of people can pick them out? Perhaps you can use these patterns to your advantage!

You can also check books and newspapers for past winning numbers and hints and tips. Theres are some websites and even books that discuss lottery number in the past, in the present and what may be coming up in the future! Remember though, as much as you study the past, you can never be sure on what is being drawn next – that is the beauty of the lottery! Anyone can win it, and anything can come up! This is what makes the lottery fun and always a surprise.

Mega Millions is played by 12 major states throughout the US, and costs only $1 to play. Like many other lottery games, the more tickets are sold, the more the jackpot rises. The game is played twice a week on a Tuesday and Friday, meaning there is double the chance to win.

When choosing Mega Millions Lottery Numbers, you have to choose five numbers from what is known as the main section of balls. These run from 1 to 56. You then must choose a golden ball known as the Mega Ball – this works like a bonus ball and you can get a bigger and better prize by matching this. The numbers these can be is anything from 1 to 46. You can choose the same number as one you chose in the main balls, and you can actually win a prize of $2 from matching just one ball, as long as it’s the Mega golden ball.

On the Mega Millions play slip are ten panels that you can choose from – remember when choosing you lottery numbers that you need to check you have chosen the right number (is the ticket the right way round – you’d be surprised by how many people play by remembering patterns and not looking at the numbers!), have you chosen the day to want to play (Tuesday or Friday?) have you got the correct amount of rows, have you chosen the exact amount of games you want to play for? You can Mega Millions for up to 20 weeks, but remember to take care of the ticket if you will be keeping it for 5 months! And always check you lottery numbers after purchase as the retailer will not accept disputes afterwards.

There are nine ways to match the lottery numbers up in this game and nine ways to win! The jackpot is won by matching all six numbers, and the next prize down is worth $250,000 where you need to match five numbers. The next prize down is matching four main balls and the gold ball for $10,000, then the prizes after are at considerably lower levels ($150, $10, $7, $3 and $2). However, the game does give the player plenty of chances to win a lower level prize – even if you only win $2 think of it as the chance to get your next ticket for free and that you haven’t made any losses!

The Lotto usually requires six matching numbers for the jackpot and in some cases, like with the UK National Lottery, a bonus ball too for the top prize. On one hand, having to choose an extra number may arguably make it harder to win the top prize. However, if you think about the lower level prizes, having an extra number to choose means it increases your chances of a better prize. For example, matching 3 balls means that you get a basic £10 prize – but if you get the bonus ball too, then the prize can vary greatly depending on how many winners there are those weeks.

So how about choosing the winning lotto numbers? As we said before, the chances of winning the ultimate prize is slim – the odds are stacked against you. However, you can apply various techniques to try and win lower level runner up prizes – winning these a few times a year is still more profitable than winning nothing at all – at least this way you are playing the lotto for free!

Some people prefer to choose numbers that are commonly drawn and some prefer rare numbers. There are pros and cons to both – rare numbers are the ones that don’t get picked very often. There’s no rule as to why this is, but nevertheless that is the case. When you think about it, theres no way that all the balls can be picked an equal amount of times. Therefore, some numbers will be favoured over others. Rare numbers in a sense have a greater chance of being picked next, since you would think it would be their turn. However commonly drawn numbers are tried and tested – for some people this may mean they are a safer bet.

But remember, there are no promises here – the number 38 for example is a very popular ball in the UK lotto – the most popular in fact having been drawn over 100 times. This doesn’t mean that the number won’t go on a drought though – like all things that are popular for a while, its luck may run out. In other words, theres nothing to say that a popular number won’t suddenly stop being drawn by the machine since it is entirely random.

So when you play it’s entirely up to you, if you want to go for a random system of numbers which bear no relation to each other or some tried and tested popular numbers, or those with personal value. Many people prefer meaning to the numbers they enter into the lottery, believing it will bring them luck. Either way – you have to enter to get the chance to win!

The Mega Millions game in the USA for example, has a generous prize and is played over twelve states; New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and California. Other states have their own types of lottery games. Now, the Mega Millions Lottery has jackpots starting at $12 million dollars, making the prizes always generous and like other lotteries, the prizes rollover week to week if there are no jackpot winners.

As of 2008 the player picks five numbers from 1 to 56 and then picks one lucky number ball, called the Mega Ball number which is gold and varies from 1-46. This number is drawn from a separate machine to the main 5 numbers. Although there are fewer balls to choose from overall than the UK Lottery where you have 6 main balls and a bonus ball, the Mega Lottery has a wider range of numbers, therefore making it hard to win from. The UK Lotto has numbers from 1-44 in its main selection whereas the Mega Millions goes up to 56. The number combinations also increase with this.

The jackpot, won by matching the normal balls of 1 – 56 and mega ball of 1- 46, has a 1 in 175’711’536 chance of winning – however the lower level prizes are easier to win. You can win a $2 prize just for matching one Mega Ball number (chances are 1 in 75) thus covering the cost of your ticket. If you match one main ball and the mega ball number you get $3 (1 in 141 chances). Therefore it is not impossible at all to take home some kind of prize – many other lotteries won’t go below matching three numbers for a prize.

When choosing Mega Millions Lottery numbers, think about patterns and shapes – think about whether you want completely random numbers or something that is familiar. Many people choose their numbers from birthdays and anniversaries for example – but remember that since most of these are dates, they won’t run past number 31. Since Mega Millions runs up to 56, you will miss out the numbers from 32-56, thus reducing your chances of winning a prize. For this reason, and this applies to any lottery you play, always remember to include the higher end numbers too. Many jackpots that are rolled over are done so because the numbers drawn are high numbers and appear in a cluster and people tend to choose around the middle or low end of the number scale. Choosing common numbers is also not a bad idea in games where you get prizes for matching even one number – it means the chances of winning a prize is higher.

It’s worth playing games with these bonus balls as it increases you chances of winning something. Remember that picking all six winning numbers is difficult so sometimes, matching fewer but still taking home a prize is a good achievement. You can look at previous draws results, usually using the lottery organiser’s website or other reputable sites; too see if there are any popular numbers.

Remember that popular numbers may appear constantly for a while then disappear! Choosing a set of numbers that had won the previous week again immediately after is not a great idea because the chances of those numbers reappearing again is unlikely. However, you can still search for popular numbers, such as the one that has been drawn the most, and use these numbers. This is especially useful for say the bonus ball number.

You should also avoid picking any odd sequences that are less likely to be drawn together such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, or 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18, or 50, 49, 48, 47, 46 and 45. It is not impossible that these numbers will be drawn together; it’s just rarer because the numbers already have a strong relationship with each other. Having said that, some people buy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 every week with the belief that one day it will be drawn together!

People also generally pick fewer high numbers than lower ones – some weeks when most of the winning numbers have been 32 and above there has been no jackpot winners. You can always try your luck with this theory and target the higher numbers as opposed to keeping your choice of numbers evenly spread. Remember that people always pick birthdays and ages as lottery numbers so these tend to be lower down in the numerical scale, since people tend to choose kids birthdays and ages as opposed to say their grandmothers or aunts.

Picking 6 very popular and regularly drawn numbers may mean that you don’t hit all 6 numbers but you may get 3 or 4 numbers on a regular basis, thus wining you a small or frequent prize. Remember games that have smaller prizes may require fewer numbers to be chosen and are generally easier to win. Whether you are loyal to a set of numbers or like to change your lottery numbers week by week, make sure you always remember to buy your ticket!

Take the UK National Lottery, which is one of most popular draws in the world. In the main draw game, players must choose six numbers and match them all to get the main jackpot, or match as few as three to get the smallest runner up prize of £10. There are various other combinations the player can get in order to win better prizes, for example the ‘bonus ball’ is an extra number the player chooses and if this number is drawn, the prize if generally bigger.

People often wonder what the best way to pick winning lottery numbers is, and if there is a magic formula. People also wonder if numbers are chosen completely randomly or if there are patterns.

Although some numbers seem to be more popular than others and appear more frequently, there is never a guarantee in a fair draw that your numbers will appear. Some people may study previous winning lottery numbers and try to find out if there is a pattern and try to win smaller but consistent prizes. Otherwise there would be some very rich experienced gamblers and mathematicians about!

Having said that, a quick internet search will throw up some websites created by mathematicians and statisticians, with the most popular lottery numbers on. Don’t forget, that the chances of all the most popular lottery winning numbers appearing together are quite rare!

Don’t forget there is also the option of the lucky dip, where the machine will choose the draw numbers for you. Then there are machines you can buy which will generate six random numbers for you, key rings and even computer programs and software, although there is no proof that choosing six numbers through a machine guarantees any more success than choosing them yourself. In fact, many people do prefer to choose a set of numbers that have some kind of meaning, such as birthdays, special or important dates or ages, perhaps feeling that choosing these numbers has an element of fate or luck.

It can also be interesting reading about lottery winner’s stories; there are plenty on the internet, and quite often big winners will share their stories of how they chose their winning numbers – in the stranger stories, people have dreamt of the numbers, people have seen them written on random sources such as newspapers and television. Some people become so obsessed with their set of numbers that they never change them and buy them week after week – there have been tales of people who for whatever reason miss their ticket one week and miss out on a prize! Perhaps this goes to show that once you have a set of numbers you want to stick with, it pays to remember to actually buy the ticket!