With that said, here are the top 10 Mega Millions facts and figures.

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Mega Million is an American lottery. However, you don’t have to be in the country to join the draw, as you can do it anywhere in the world. As long as you have access to a computer or smartphone and the internet, you can purchase a ticket to play Mega Millions online.

The Mega Millions jackpot is drawn twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday. You can check if you have won the Mega Millions draw on the results page. If you are one of the lucky winners, you will be notified via email and phone call.

Who would have guessed that the first Mega Millions draw on May 17, 2002 would have a winner. One lucky player from Illinois managed to hit the jackpot, walking away with the hefty $28 million. The next jackpot didn’t have a winner, however, the following week, someone else managed to hit it. The (Big Game) Mega Millions was off to a great start.

The odds of winning each lottery are different and they change through the years. As of 2021, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 302,575,350. This data is provided by the lotto publishers themselves, and will give a good idea of what you’re up against.

222 tickets have won a 197 jackpots since 2002. Two to three more winning tickets have had to share the jackpot amongst themselves. Knowing that people can and do win the jackpot is encouraging.

Friday the 13th is often considered to be an unlucky day by many people. If you’re superstitious, you might agree, however, six people have managed to turn their luck upside down and win Jackpots on this day.

The largest jackpot to ever be won by a single ticket is a whopping US $1.537 billion. Not only is the biggest Mega Millions win, but it is also the biggest win in the entire world. America alone spends more than US $70 billion on jackpot tickets in a year, meaning big wins like this are usually expected.

Mega Millions has nine prize tiers. So even if you don’t win the jackpot, you stand a chance to win other substantial amounts. For instance, the second prize after the jackpot can reach up to US $5 million. The odds of winning it are a bit better with players having a one in 12,607,306 chance.

Although the numbers are picked at random, some appear more than others during the draw. The most common winning numbers are 17, 10, 31, 14 and 4.

Even if you manage to hit the five main numbers, which you need for the second prize, you need the Mega Ball to win the jackpot. The most common winning Mega Balls are 22, 11, 10, 19 and 9.