Do you live in Ohio and want to try your luck at the lottery? Mega Millions is a great place to start! I could give you a thousand reasons why, but let me tell you the most important one: its incredible jackpots. Mega Millions has offered some of the largest lottery jackpots in the U.S., often reaching into the billions. It’s also the only lottery in the U.S. that offers a $5 million second-tier prize. And it seems that Ohio is one of the luckiest states when it comes to winning Mega Millions.
If you’re ready to try your luck, stick with us. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to play and win Mega Millions in Ohio.
How to play Mega Millions
The Mega Millions lottery began selling tickets in Ohio in 2002, and it’s been a popular lottery ever since. Playing is simple: just pick five numbers from 1 to 70, plus an additional number, called the Mega Ball, from 1 to 25. You can either pick your own numbers or let the machine pick them for you using the Quick Pick option.
You can use a Mega Millions Bet Card, which has five play areas and allows you to bet on up to 10 consecutive drawings.
If you’re looking for a smarter way to pick your numbers, try Clover, Lottonia’s AI-powered chatbot. Clover can analyze patterns and suggest numbers with a higher chance of winning.
Each Mega Millions bet costs $2. But for an extra dollar, you can enable the Megaplier option, which multiplies the non-jackpot prize up to five times.
Ways to win Mega Millions in Ohio
The Mega Millions lottery in Ohio offers 9 different ways to win a prize, including the coveted jackpot. The jackpot starts at $20 million and grows with each drawing if there isn’t a winner. The largest Mega Millions jackpot in history reached an incredible $1.602 billion, won by a lucky player in Florida in 2023.
While the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million, it’s not your only chance to win! There are also secondary prizes that are quite appealing and the odds of winning one of them are much better.
These prizes range from $2 to $1 million, but if you activate the Megaplier feature, you can increase your winnings up to $5 million. Sounds pretty great, right?
Here’s a breakdown of all the ways you can win with Mega Millions, along with the odds:
| Match | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Five numbers + The Mega Ball | Jackpot | 1 in 302,575,350 |
| Five numbers | $1,000,000 | 1 in 12,607,306 |
| Four numbers + The Mega Ball | $10,000 | 1 in 931,001 |
| Four numbers | $500 | 1 in 38,792 |
| Three numbers + The Mega Ball | $200 | 1 in 14,547 |
| Three numbers | $10 | 1 in 606 |
| Two numbers + The Mega Ball | $10 | 1 in 693 |
| One number + The Mega Ball | $4 | 1 in 89 |
| The Mega Ball | $2 | 1 in 37 |
Did anyone win Mega Millions in Ohio?
Ohio is one of the luckiest states when it comes to the Mega Millions lottery. In our ranking of states with the most Mega Millions wins, Ohio holds third place with 20 victories. Of those, 19 were claimed by individual players. It seems like Ohio players have a little extra luck with this lottery!
Here’s a list of the 10 biggest Mega Millions jackpots won in Ohio, according to official Mega Millions data:
- $375 million, December 17, 2019 – won by The Great Hope Trust
- $270 million, February 28, 2006 – won by M & H Blind Trust
- $265 million, April 18, 2006 – won by WFJ Trust
- $207 million, December 12, 2008 – won by The Piqua 207 Group
- $202 million, November 13, 2015 – won by Lucky Duck Passive Trust
- $196 million, May 16, 2008 – won by The Anthony Trust
- $170 million, July 22, 2005 – anonymous
- $162 million, December 30, 2003 – won by Rebecca Jones-Jemison
- $142 million, May 4, 2018 – won by ABC XYZ Trust
How often are the Mega Millions drawings?
Mega Millions drawings are held twice a week, specifically on Tuesday and Friday nights at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It’s important to note that ticket sales end at 10:45 p.m. in all participating states except Illinois and Washington, where the cut-off time is a little earlier.
Wondering if your numbers were winners? You can check the latest winning numbers for all Ohio Lottery games on our blog.
But with Lottonia App, you don’t have to worry about checking the drawings manually. Lottonia automatically notifies you of the winning numbers for your favorite lotteries. So if you win, you’ll be the first to know!
What to do if you win the Mega Millions in Ohio?
If you are lucky enough to win the Mega Millions, it is important to know how and where to claim your prize in Ohio. The process varies depending on how much you’ve won. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to do based on the value of your prize:
- Prizes up to $599.99: You can easily claim these at any authorized Ohio Lottery retailer. You’ll get your prize in cash right away.
- Prizes up to $5,000: You can claim your prize at Super Retailer locations or at one of the Ohio Lottery’s Regional Offices.
Remember, all tickets have a limited validity period. Under current Ohio Lottery Commission rules, you have up to 180 days from the drawing date to claim your Mega Millions prize. So make sure you do not miss this important deadline.
If you win the jackpot, you’ll also need to decide how you want to receive your winnings: annual payments or a lump sum. With the annuity option, you’ll receive an initial annual payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment will be 5 percent larger than the previous one.
On the other hand, if you choose the lump sum option, you’ll receive a single, immediate payment, but it will be less than the total amount you’d receive with the annual payments.
And finally, but importantly, taxes. Lottery prizes are subject to both federal and state taxes. For prizes over $5,000, the IRS automatically withholds 24% of your winnings. In addition, the State of Ohio will withhold 4% in taxes on Mega Millions prizes of $600 or more.
Learn more: How are lottery winnings taxed?
Summing up…
Playing Mega Millions in Ohio is pretty easy. You now know how to get your tickets, check the drawings, and even claim your prizes if you win. All that’s left is for luck to be on your side!
Don’t miss out – download the Lottonia App today and make sure you’re always in the game.