Mississippi Lottery Games
Game | Prize Type | Numbers | Sale Closes |
---|---|---|---|
Powerball | Jackpot | 5 from 1-69 + 1 from 1-26 | 8:59 p.m. |
Mega Millions | Jackpot | 5 from 1-70 + 1 from 1-25 | 9:45 p.m. |
Game Schedule
Game | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Powerball | 9:59 p.m. | 9:59 p.m. | |||||
Mega Millions | 10:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. |
*All times are displayed in Mississippi local time.
Advance Draws
The number of consecutive draws each Mississippi State Lottery games allows you to play:
Game | Advanced Draws |
---|---|
Powerball | up to 26 |
Mega Millions | up to 26 |
Tax Information
Mississippi Lottery Federal, and state tax withholdings on winnings for U.S. citizens or residents.
Winnings | Tax Category | Percentage |
---|---|---|
$600 or more | State Tax | 3.0% |
$600 or more | Federal Tax | 0.0% |
If the winner is not a U.S. citizen or is not a US resident, Mississippi Lottery tax withholdings on winnings are as such:
Winnings | Tax Category | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Over $5,000 | State Tax | 3.0% |
Over $5,000 | Federal Tax | 24.0% |
About the Mississippi Lottery
The Mississippi State Lottery is one of the most recently established lotto games in the US. The lottery in Mississippi was authorized to open by the Alyce Clarke Mississippi Lottery Act in 2018. It was a tight vote, coming in at 58-54. It followed a narrow yet unfavorable vote the day prior.
The late adoption of a lotto in MS is curious, given the state’s long and positive relationship with casino gambling. Pressure from casino operators as well as religious leaders kept lottos at bay for a long time. However, things started to change in 1992 when voters repealed a constitutional bar on lotto games.
By 2004, Alyce Clark pioneered the first proposal for an official MS lotto game. Unfortunately, it was shut down by Gov. Haley Barbour and state legislature leaders. The 2018 Act would go on to recognize Clarke’s significant contributions to the cause through its name.
While most state lotto games are used to fund education exclusively, MS invests $80 million into highway programs every year. The rest goes towards the state's education budget. After 10 years, in 2028, that initial $80 million earmark will go towards the state’s coffers.
Mississippi Lottery FAQ
The first Mississippi Lottery results were drawn in 2019. Since games have only been available for a little over a year, there aren’t many big Mississippi Lottery winners yet.
The biggest Mississippi Lottery scratch ticket yet was sold to a Tupelo resident. It wound up netting him a $200,000 prize. The largest draw game prize yet was a $2 million dollar Mississippi Lottery Mega Millions ticket sold in June 2020.
While many state lotto games have moved on to digital broadcasts, MS hasn’t. Results of Mississippi Lottery drawings are broadcast over local TV stations. These include WJTV in Jackson, WHLT in Hattiesburg, WCBI in Columbus and WXXV in the Gulf Coast.
The odds of winning cash prizes in MS lotto games depends largely on the games you choose. Different odds exist for different scratchers. However, they’re all in the neighborhood of 1 in 4 chances of receiving a cash prize.
As for available draw games, Mississippi Lottery Powerball winning odds are 1 in 292,201,388. Mega Millions winning odds are 1 in 302,575,350. There is no Mississippi Lottery Lucky for Life game.
To play any of the games, all you need to do is visit an official retailer and buy tickets. If you’re playing scratchers, peel them off and reveal your Mississippi Lottery winning numbers. If you’re playing Powerball or Mega Millions, you’ll have to wait for the drawings.
That depends on the game in question. For the Powerball, you can tune in to drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9:59 PM CT. Instant scratchers don’t require any drawings. There are no games involving local Mississippi Lottery numbers drawings yet.
The Mega Million drawings take place every week on Tuesdays and Fridays, at around 10 PM CT. If you happen to miss the broadcast, don’t worry! You can always catch them later on the official Mega Millions YouTube channel.
At the moment, it doesn’t. Since the state lotto is quite a recent development, many staples of other state lottos are notably absent. That includes Mississippi Lottery Second Chance promotions.
Vouchers are promotional items, sometimes doled out by instant scratchers. Individual vouchers can be redeemed for whatever prizes are stated on them. While most state lottos have some kind of vouchers, MS isn’t one of these states.
At the moment, there is no Mississippi Lottery ticket scanner to check your numbers for winners. Since there is no Mississippi Lottery app, you can only do the process in person.
If your Mississippi Lottery codes are indeed winners, you have to cash them in. To cash your tickets, you’ll have to find an official redemption center. A list of center locations in the state is included at the top of this page.
Got more questions about the Mississippi Lottery?