What’s your strategy for picking Mega Millions numbers? Some players like to choose meaningful dates in their lives like birthdays and anniversaries or use other numbers that have personal significance.
Others pay attention to past Mega Millions drawings and the numbers that get drawn more often than the rest. Good news: Jackpocket is tracking those numbers, so you don’t have to! Here are the most-drawn Mega Millions numbers so far this year.
Luckiest Mega Millions Numbers in 2024
These most drawn white ball Mega Millions numbers in 2024 are:
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58 drawn 6 times
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19 drawn 5 times
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61 drawn 5 times
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66 drawn 5 times
The most drawn gold Mega Ball numbers in 2024 are:
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1 drawn 3 times
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7 drawn 3 times
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11 drawn 3 times
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14 drawn 3 times
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16 drawn 3 times
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24 drawn 3 times
(Related: These Are the “Luckiest” Powerball Numbers in 2024)
How many numbers do you need to win a Mega Millions prize?
Remember, to play Mega Millions you’ll pick 6 total numbers. First, choose five numbers from 1 to 70 (those are the white balls) and then a Mega Millions number (this is the gold ball) from 1 to 25. The more numbers you match in the Mega Millions drawing, the more prize money you’ll win!
Here’s a breakdown of all the ways you can match your way to victory in Mega Millions:
- Match 5 numbers (in any order) plus the Mega Ball to hit the Mega Millions jackpot.
- Match 5 numbers without the Mega Ball for a $1 million payday.
- Match 4 numbers plus the Mega Ball to win $10,000.
- Match 4 numbers without the Mega Ball to win $100.
- Match 3 numbers plus the Mega Ball to win $200.
- March 3 number without the Mega Ball to win $10. You can also win $10 by matching 2 numbers with the Mega Balls.
- Match 1 number plus the Mega Ball to win $4.
- You can even win a prize by matching 1 number only—if it’s that gold Mega Ball. Simply matching the Mega Ball number earns you $2.
Want the chance to win even more? If you add the Megaplier to your ticket, all your non-jackpot winnings can be multiplied by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times depending on which Megaplier number is drawn.
Get the full breakdown for Mega Millions prizes and odds.
Quick Pick vs Pick Your Own?
You have the same odds of winning a Mega Millions prize whether you get a random Quick Pick or choose your own lucky numbers. Learn the pros and cons of each approach.
This article originally appeared on Jackpocket.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
More from MediaFeed:
9 Ways Big Lotto Winners Picked Their Winning Numbers
With Mega Millions and Powerball on the rise, a lot of us are playing the “What would you do if you won the lottery?” game.
The first stop on the path to that dream of winning the BIG bucks? How to choose those winning lottery numbers.
Michael Burrell/Istockphoto
1. Birthdays & Anniversaries
Many people choose numbers that hold personal significance, such as birthdays or special dates. In the case of this $25K-a-year-for-life winner in North Carolina, it was a mash-up of a few personal digits: her birthday, her son’s birthday and his football jersey number.
Warren-Pender / istockphoto
Some winners have relied on numbers they consider lucky or have a positive association with. A $1,000,0000 Cash4Life winner told Jackpocket that their father’s lucky numbers became their own: “Those [winning Cash4Life] numbers were actually my father’s numbers. My father passed away, so I’ve been playing his numbers ever since.”
Lee Lawson/Istockphoto
Numerous winners have opted for completely random number combinations, either using Quick Picks or generating them through random number generators. Jackpocket’s record $9.4 million winner told us that of her five Pick-6 tickets on that fateful drawing, two of them were Quick Picks and three of them were a combination of birthdays and important dates. This time, the Quick Picks had it! The winning numbers? 04, 28, 31, 37, 41 and 43.
WoodysPhotos/Istockphoto
Some winners have selected numbers based on the ages of their family members, such as children, parents, or siblings. Don’t forget pets! A Jackpocket player in New Jersey won $1,000,000 with this strategy: “Everything was an age or a birthday. The first one was my wife and then my youngest son. The third one was me and then the dog.”
(Related: How to Play Pick 3 Lottery – Florida)
Fabio Camandona/Istockphoto
Some winners have chosen numbers based on random patterns they observed in their surroundings, such as objects or patterns in nature. And this one’s pretty random: a Maryland lottery player used the license plate number from her wrecked car to win a $25,000 lottery prize.
Wpadington/Istockphoto
A few winners have claimed to have received their winning numbers through dreams, visions, or other forms of intuition. A Jackpocket player in New Jersey said his winning numbers came to him in dreamland. “The numbers came clear to me and I played them,” he said.
fizkes/Istockphoto
Some winners have noticed certain numbers repeatedly appearing in their lives and decided to include them in their lottery number choices. In April 2019, Deborah Brown of Richmond, Virginia kept seeing the same four numbers. When she decided to do something about it and play, she won $150,000. She said, “I nearly had a heart attack!”
AndreyPopov/istockphoto
Don’t throw away that fortune! A recent retiree in North Carolina played some fortune cookie numbers from a Vietnamese restaurant given to him by his granddaughter. Those numbers netted him a $344.6 million Powerball!
(Related: Here Are the Luckiest Mega Millions Numbers in 2024)
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Some winners have incorporated previously drawn winning numbers into their combinations, assuming that they may have a higher chance of repeating. Ralph Laird of California created a computer program that randomized previous winning Lotto numbers. He went on to win $27.58 million, a California Lottery record high back in 1990! We rounded up the most drawn Powerball numbers of 2024 if you’d like some inspiration.
This article originally appeared on Jackpocket.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Featured Image Credit: Gregory Clifford/istockphoto.
