In the Mega Millions lottery, players must select five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Mega Millions used to be a 5/75 game, but recently there have been a few innovations to the lottery. One of them is an increase in the jackpot from $15 million to $40 million. Unfortunately this has made the lottery more difficult for players to win which means that their chances of winning the big prize have decreased in terms of the probability theory.

The Odds Of The US Mega Millions 5/70

Every Mega Millions participant can win 9 phenomenal prizes based on a different match of the five main numbers and the additional ‘Mega Ball’. This is done by using two lottery reels containing balls with basic numbers 1-70 and an additional 1-25 which is needed to win prize categories 3, 5 and 9. Plus there’s the “Megaplier” multiplier which multiplies ANY secondary prize by 2, 3, 4 or even 5 times! If you win, you will receive your winnings after deduction of federal and state taxes in the state where you purchased your lottery ticket.

With its current format of 5/70, winning the main jackpot prize is harder than ever. The odds before was 1 to 259 million. But now, it’s 1 to 302.6 million. That means that each player will now have to play the lottery 303 million times when you used to have 260 million attempts in the old format.

But here is the good news: It is much easier now to win a five number match without the mega ball. In the old format, the odds for the second-tier prize were 1 to 18 million. Now, with the 5/70, it’s 1 to 12.6 million.

There are number patterns that can increase a player’s chances of winning the lottery. Here is a list of patterns, possible combinations and probabilities (the latter listed in brackets):

• 5-odd-and-0-even: 324632 (0.026822409690677);
• 4-odd-and-1-even: 1832600 (0.15141682889898);
• 3-odd-and-2-even: 3894275 (0.32176076141034);
• 2-odd-and-3-even: 3894275 (0.32176076141034);
• 1-odd-and-4-even: 1832600 (0.15141682889898);
• 0-odd-and-5-even: 324632 (0.026822409690677).

Clearly, the list above shows that the 3-odd-2-even and the 2-odd-3-even number patterns put you in a better position to win. The all-even-number pattern appears at least three times in every 100 games. 

There is an opinion amongst many gamblers that constant participation in the lottery is the best way to win. However, there are plenty of people who have been lucky enough to win the jackpot at the first attempt without any prior gambling experience. That’s because MegaMillions is really random, which means that the probability of winning the jackpot isn’t increased directly by buying new tickets over and over again. This is the so-called “independent likelihood” rule. However, if several tickets are purchased in a single draw, the chances of winning do increase, but only for that particular draw. Still, most of the players who were able to claim their prize were regular participants in the lottery. They clearly understand all the rules of the game and its basic nuances, as well as keeping up to date with the latest news.

You can also bet on Mega Millions results, rather than taking part in the lottery itself. To do so, follow this link to YesPlay!