The CA lottery spotlight on Mega Millions turned to a $576 million jackpot for the Tuesday, July 7 drawing, with a $253.9 million cash option. The last jackpot win came on March 17, when a lottery player in Ohio took $60 million.
That rollover left ticket buyers across 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands checking whether they still had a shot at the larger prize. Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m., and the ticket price is now $5.
Players can choose five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 24, or let Quick Pick generate the selection. A player can win at least $10 for matching just the Mega Ball, and the minimum prize for matching all five white balls is $2 million, except in California.
Mega Millions changes from April 8, 2025
Mega Millions changed on April 8, 2025, including the new $5 ticket price and the 1-to-24 Mega Ball range. Tickets can be bought in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores, and some airport terminals also sell them.
The game can be played in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah do not offer Mega Millions.
For buyers using the Jackpocket app, online ticket ordering is available in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. For Jackpocket in New Jersey, the deadline for the 11 p.m. ET drawing is 9:15 p.m.
Tuesday, July 7 drawing
The main question for players was simple: whether their numbers matched the Tuesday, July 7 drawing. The jackpot had climbed to $576 million even though the last win was only $60 million on March 17, a gap that set up a much larger prize pool for anyone holding a ticket.
That makes the current drawing the one that matters most for anyone checking a ticket now. The next step for players is to compare their numbers with the drawing and, if they used a service with a cutoff, make sure the ticket was placed before the state deadline.
