The jackpots in the Mega Millions have been making headlines for years now, but there is so much more to this lottery than the first prize. In fact, there are as many as eight other prize categories that you can win in this exciting game. You have at least nine reasons to play! Let us tell you all about these prizes and how you can win them.
How Big Is the Mega Millions Jackpot?
The US Mega Millions offers amazing jackpots: the 3 biggest Mega Millions jackpots all exceed $1 Billion!
To win it, you have to match all the 5 main numbers and the Mega Ball. Considering that it starts from $20 million, the first prize is a good enough reason to play Mega Millions online every single time. Now let us tell you about the other 8 great reasons!
How Much Is the Mega Millions Second Prize?
Did you know that with Mega Millions, you can become a millionaire, even if you don’t match all of the winning numbers? With the 5 main numbers on your ticket and no Mega Ball, you can still scoop $1 million. Moreover, if you play with the Megaplier, that amount could be increased to up to $5 million!
What Are the Mega Millions Secondary Prizes?
The US Mega Millions lottery has a total of 9 prize categories. In addition to the jackpot and the second prize, which can turn you into millionaires, you have the chance of winning other smaller prizes, which will still make your life sweeter.
| Prize Category | Match | Amount | Winning Odds |
| Jackpot | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | Min. $20M | 1:302,575,350 |
| 2nd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $1M | 1:12,607,306 |
| 3rd Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $10,000 | 1:931,001 |
| 4th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪⚪ | $500 | 1:38,792 |
| 5th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $200 | 1:14,547 |
| 6th Prize | ⚪⚪⚪ | $10 | 1:606 |
| 7th Prize | ⚪⚪ + 🔴 | $10 | 1:693 |
| 8th Prize | ⚪ + 🔴 | $4 | 1:89 |
| 9th Prize | 🔴 | $2 | 1:37 |
How to Boost Prizes with the Megaplier
If you want to make the Mega Millions prizes even bigger, then make sure to play with the Megaplier. The lottery multipler can increase all secondary prizes that you win 2, 3, 4, or even 5 times. That’s right! The $1 million second prize can get as high as $5 million if you play with the Megaplier, so don’t forget to add it to your ticket! Find out everything about this amazing multipler on our Megaplier page.
Mega Millions Hall of Fame
The Mega Millions set the world record for the biggest jackpot in 2012 with its $656 million first prize. It held it until January 2016, when its main contender, the US Powerball had its legendary $1.56 billion prize. In 2018, the Mega Millions came extremely close to getting back in the first position with an enormous prize of $1.53 billion. But these are not the only impressive prizes in this lottery’s portfolio. In fact, its hall of fame is one of the most impressive ones out there. Here are the top 10 Mega Millions jackpots!
10 Biggest Mega Millions Jackpots of All Time
| Rank | Date | Amount | # of winners | Lucky Numbers |
| 1 | August 8th, 2023 | $1.602 billion | 1 | 13-19-20-32-33/14 |
| 2 | Oct 23rd, 2018 | $1.53 billion | 1 | 15-23-53-65-70/7 |
| 3 | July 29th, 2022 | $1.337 billion | 1 | 13-36-45-57-67/14 |
| 4 | January 21st, 2021 | $1.05 billion | 1 syndicate | 4-26-42-50-60/24 |
| 5 | Mar 30th, 2012 | $656 million | 3 | 2-4-23-38-46/23 |
| 6 | Dec 17th, 2013 | $648 million | 2 | 8-14-17-20-39/7 |
| 7 | Jul 24th, 2018 | $543 million | 1 | 1-2-4-19-29/20 |
| 8 | Jul 8th, 2016 | $536 million | 1 | 8-19-20-55-73/5 |
| 9 | Mar 30th, 2018 | $533 million | 1 | 11-28-31-46-59/1 |
| 10 | June 7th, 2019 | $522 million | 1 | 17-19-27-40-68/02 |