Scores of prospective billionaires will be looking to buy Mega Millions tickets with the hope of winning the enormous $1.6 billion prize, but those who work late or have other evening obligations could be in risk of missing the cutoff time for ticket sales if they’re not careful.
Tuesday’s jackpot for the multi-state lottery is the largest in American history, soaring to $1.6 billion after no one won Friday’s $1 billion drawing. The huge prize has led to a surge in sales across the country, but also many asking the question — just how late can you buy Mega Millions tickets for Tuesday’s drawing?
As Time noted, the answer is different for every state. While the drawing takes place at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT), some states have stricter cutoffs, stopping sales for Tuesday’s drawing a few hours in advance. Other states let lottery players buy tickets within minutes of the drawing. All allow sales on the day of the game itself.
You can find your state’s Mega Millions cutoff times in the list below:
Arizona — 6:59 p.m. MT (8:59 p.m. ET) Arkansas — 9:45 p.m. CT (10:45 p.m. ET) California — 7:45 p.m. PT (10:45 p.m. ET) Colorado — 7:30 p.m. MT (9:30 p.m. ET) Connecticut — 10:45 p.m. ET Delaware — 9:45 p.m. ET Florida — 10 p.m. ET Georgia –10:45 p.m. ET Idaho — 7:55 p.m. MT (9:55 p.m. ET) Illinois — 9:45 p.m. CT (10:45 p.m. ET) Indiana — 10:44 p.m. ET Iowa — 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) Kansas — 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) Kentucky — 9:45 p.m. CT (10:45 p.m. ET) Louisiana — 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) Maine — 9:50 p.m. ET Maryland– 10:45 p.m. Massachusetts — 10:45 p.m. ET Michigan — 10:45 p.m. ET Minnesota — 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) Missouri — 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) Montana — 8 p.m. MT (10 p.m. ET) Nebraska — 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) New Hampshire — 9:50 p.m. ET New Jersey — 10:45 p.m. ET New Mexico — 8:45 p.m. MT (10:45 p.m. ET) New York — 10:45 p.m. ET North Carolina — 10:45 p.m. ET North Dakota — 8:58 p.m. CT (9:58 p.m. ET) Ohio — 10:45 p.m. ET Oklahoma — 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) Oregon — 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) Pennsylvania — 9:59 p.m. ET Rhode Island — 9:50 p.m. ET South Carolina — 10 p.m. ET South Dakota — 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) Tennessee — 9:45 p.m. CT (10:45 p.m. ET) Texas — 9:45 p.m. CT (10:45 p.m. ET) Vermont — 9:50 p.m. ET Virginia — 10:45 p.m. ET Washington — 7:45 p.m. PT (10:45 p.m. ET) Washington, D.C. — 10:45 p.m. ET West Virginia — 9:59 p.m. ET Wisconsin — 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) Wyoming close — 8 p.m. MT (10 p.m. ET)
The lottery has already generated record-breaking sales across the country. MyNorthwest.com reported that sales in Washington state have hit $15 million just this week alone, with an even bigger rush expected on the day of the drawing. Delaware had already seen close to $5 million in sales for Mega Millions and Powerball, about 10 times higher than the amount spent on tickets just three weeks ago, Delaware Online noted.
Mega Millions director says this is the first thing the winner should do https://t.co/G4OnAPnIAu pic.twitter.com/wQY796JJCN
— New York Post (@nypost) October 23, 2018
For all those who bought Mega Millions tickets before the cutoff, the drawing will be held Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT).
