A state-sponsored lottery is a popular way to fund public programs. It works like this: a lot of people buy a ticket with a set of numbers, and then the government randomly picks a set of numbers to see who wins.
Often, the winning number is the jackpot, but sometimes there are smaller prizes for matching multiple numbers. The winner’s prize can be anything from a few hundred dollars to a million dollars.
There are three elements common to all lottery games: a mechanism for determining winners, a process for distributing the money paid to stakes, and a method of collecting and pooling those funds.
Official MEGA MILLIONS Ticket
A game ticket, produced on official paper stock by a MEGA MILLIONS Agent or Retailer in an authorized manner. It bears player or computer selected numbers, game name, drawing date, amount of wager, and validation data. It may also include boxes for selection of a Cash Option or Annuity Option, at the discretion of each Party Lottery.
MEGA MILLIONS Winning Numbers
Five one or two digit numbers, from one through 70 and one one or two-digit number from one through 25, randomly selected at each MEGA MILLIONS drawing, which shall be used to determine winning MEGA MILLIONS plays contained on Official MEGA MILLIONS Tickets.
MEGA MILLIONS Play/Bet Slip
A computer-readable form, printed and issued by each Party Lottery, used in purchasing an Official MEGA MILLIONS Ticket. It bears a certain number of separate play areas (as designated by each Party Lottery) and may additionally contain boxes for selection of a Cash Option or an Annuity Option, at the discretion of the party lottery.