Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026: Check your tickets

Is today your lucky day?

The Mega Millions jackpot was an estimated $160 million for the Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, drawing, with a cash option of $68.9 million, according to Mega Millions.

The jackpot was last won on July 28, 2026, when a ticket sold in Florida matched the winning numbers for an $803 million jackpot.

Here are the latest numbers, along with everything you need to know about the Mega Millions drawing, prizes, odds and jackpot payout options.

What are the Mega Millions winning numbers for Sept. 1, 2026?

Check your ticket against the numbers from Tuesday night's drawing:

XX - XX - XX - XX - XX and Mega Ball XX

The drawing is held at 11 p.m. ET. If you are checking before the drawing, the winning numbers will not be available until after the drawing takes place.

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET.

If nobody wins the jackpot, the prize rolls over to the next drawing and continues to grow.

How do you play Mega Millions?

A Mega Millions ticket now costs $5 per play. The price increased as part of major game changes introduced in April 2025.

Each play includes a built-in multiplier that can increase eligible non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times, depending on the multiplier associated with the ticket. The multiplier does not increase the jackpot.

To play, you select:

• Five white-ball numbers from 1 through 70
• One Mega Ball number from 1 through 24

You can choose your own numbers or use a Quick Pick to have the lottery terminal randomly generate them.

You do not have to be a U.S. citizen or a resident of the state where you buy a ticket, although you must follow the applicable state lottery's rules for purchasing and claiming prizes.

How many numbers do you need to match to win Mega Millions?

You don't have to match all six numbers to win a prize.

Matching only the Mega Ball wins the minimum prize of $10. At the other end of the prize table, matching all five white balls without the Mega Ball wins at least $2 million, although prize rules can differ in California.

The jackpot requires matching all five white balls and the Mega Ball.

Where is Mega Millions available?

Mega Millions is available in 45 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The five states that do not offer Mega Millions are:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Nevada
• Utah

Where can you buy Mega Millions tickets?

Tickets are available from authorized lottery retailers, including many gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals also sell lottery tickets.

In some states, tickets can also be purchased through approved online lottery services.

For example, Jackpocket, described by the USA TODAY Network as its official digital lottery courier, 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.

Availability and rules vary by state, so check the applicable lottery before purchasing online.

What is the deadline to buy a Mega Millions ticket?

The ticket-purchase cutoff varies by state. It can be anywhere from about 15 minutes to an hour or more before the drawing.

Third-party lottery services may have earlier deadlines. For example, the cited Jackpocket deadline in New Jersey is 9:15 p.m. ET for an 11 p.m. drawing.

If you plan to play, don't assume every retailer or online service uses the same cutoff time.

What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336.

That's the chance of matching all five white balls and the Mega Ball in a single play. The odds of winning one of the smaller prizes are considerably better, but every prize level has its own odds.

The game's large jackpot can make a ticket seem like a worthwhile long shot, but the odds of hitting the jackpot remain extremely small.

What does the Mega Millions cash option mean?

Mega Millions jackpot winners generally have two ways to receive their prize: an annuity or a cash option.

The annuity is paid over time. It consists of an initial payment followed by 29 annual payments, with each annual payment increasing by 5%.

The cash option is a single lump-sum payment and is substantially less than the advertised annuity jackpot. The advertised jackpot represents the annuity value, while the cash figure reflects the amount available for a one-time payment before applicable taxes.

For the Sept. 1 drawing, that meant an estimated $160 million annuity jackpot or approximately $68.9 million in cash.

Can a Mega Millions winner remain anonymous?

Whether a lottery winner can remain anonymous depends on the state where the winning ticket was purchased.

For example, New Jersey allows qualifying lottery winners to remain anonymous under state law. Other states make some winner information, such as the winner's name or hometown, part of the public record.

If you win a major prize, check the rules of the state lottery involved before publicly claiming the ticket or sharing information about the win.

What are the 10 largest Mega Millions jackpots ever?

These are the 10 largest Mega Millions jackpots listed in the supplied records:

1. $1.602 billion — Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
2. $1.537 billion — Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
3. $1.348 billion — Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
4. $1.337 billion — July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
5. $1.269 billion — Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
6. $1.128 billion — March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
7. $1.05 billion — Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
8. $983 million — Nov. 14, 2025, won in Georgia
9. $810 million — Sept. 10, 2024, won in Texas
10. $803 million — July 28, 2026, won in Florida

What is the largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won?

Looking at the largest jackpots from both Mega Millions and Powerball, the biggest prizes in the supplied records include:

• $2.04 billion, Powerball — Nov. 7, 2022, California
• $1.817 billion, Powerball — Dec. 24, 2025, Arkansas
• $1.787 billion, Powerball — Sept. 6, 2025, Missouri and Texas
• $1.765 billion, Powerball — Oct. 11, 2023, California
• $1.602 billion, Mega Millions — Aug. 8, 2023, Florida
• $1.586 billion, Powerball — Jan. 13, 2016, California, Florida and Tennessee
• $1.537 billion, Mega Millions — Oct. 23, 2018, South Carolina
• $1.348 billion, Mega Millions — Jan. 13, 2023, Maine
• $1.337 billion, Mega Millions — July 29, 2022, Illinois
• $1.326 billion, Powerball — April 6, 2024, Oregon
• $1.269 billion, Mega Millions — Dec. 27, 2024, California
• $1.128 billion, Mega Millions — March 26, 2024, New Jersey
• $1.08 billion, Powerball — July 19, 2023, California
• $1.05 billion, Mega Millions — Jan. 22, 2021, Michigan
• $1.04 billion, Powerball — Aug. 12, 2026, Illinois
• $980 million, Mega Millions — Nov. 14, 2025, Georgia
• $842.4 million, Powerball — Jan. 1, 2024, Michigan
• $810 million, Mega Millions — Sept. 10, 2024, Texas
• $803 million, Mega Millions — July 28, 2026, Florida
• $768.4 million, Powerball — March 27, 2019, Wisconsin

One correction is important: the supplied material gives the Jan. 13, 2023 Mega Millions jackpot as $1.348 billion in one section, while the later list labels it Jan. 13, 2022. The 2022 date is incorrect; the record belongs to the Jan. 13, 2023 drawing.

Need help with a gambling problem?

Lottery games are gambling, and the extremely low jackpot odds can make it easy to spend more than intended while chasing a large prize.

If gambling is causing problems, help is available through the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER and the associated gambling-support resources.

If you're playing Mega Millions, treat the ticket as entertainment rather than a financial strategy. A jackpot win is possible, but the odds of matching all six numbers are extraordinarily low.