The New York Lottery has gone all Daylight Saving Time on us -- permanently.
Tuesday is the day the deadline for Mega Millions ticket purchases in the Empire State moves up nearly an hour to 10 p.m. on draw days. Previously, tickets for the same day's draw could be bought until 10:45 p.m. The drawings are held at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. That part won't change. Officials announced the plan last month.
According to lotto officials, the earlier draw close allows more time for the New York Lottery to conduct closing procedures for each Mega Millions draw. (Obtenga los detalles en español aquí.)
It's not exactly clear what those procedures entail, but officials had said the switch was strictly operational and won't impact Mega Millions players (except, of course, those who try to buy tickets after 10 p.m. starting tonight).
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 per play. Players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers – five different numbers from 1 to 70 and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball – or select Quick Pick to have the numbers selected randomly. To win the jackpot, you've got to match all six numbers. See all the ways you can win.
Players can also use the Megaplier feature for an extra $1 per game. The Megaplier multiplies non-Jackpot prizes by up to five times. Another Mega Millions feature called "Just the Jackpot" gives players two Quick Pick tickets that are only eligible to win the jackpot for just $3.
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New York’s Mega Millions generated $294,562,279 in total sales during fiscal year 2021-2022. School districts in New York received $119,222,978 in Lottery Aid to Education funds from the sales of Mega Millions during the same period.
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Mega fever kicked into insanely high gear earlier this year when the jackpot his $1.35 billion. A single winner in Maine claimed that prize. It was the second-largest in Mega history and the fourth time the game had a billion-dollar win.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever came in October 2018 and was $1.53 billion, claimed by a single ticket holder in South Carolina. The game is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
