Do Powerball and Mega Millions draw on holidays?
They do. Powerball draws Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM ET, and the official Powerball FAQ lists those nights with no holiday exceptions. Mega Millions draws Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM ET. Both schedules are tied to the day of the week, so the only thing that decides whether there's a national draw on a holiday is which weekday the holiday falls on.
The record bears this out. According to Powerball, its jackpot had been won four times on Christmas Day (1996, 2002, 2010 and 2013) and once on Christmas Eve (2011) before December 2025. The 2002 Christmas Day winner was a West Virginia ticket worth $314.9 million, at the time the largest jackpot ever won on a single ticket. Then on Christmas Eve 2025, a ticket sold in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot, with a cash value of $834.9 million. Draws without a winner go ahead just the same: Christmas Day 2023 was a Monday, and the Powerball drawing that night had a jackpot of about $660 million.
National draws on holidays through January 2027
| Holiday | Date | National draw that night |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day | Mon, Oct 12, 2026 | Powerball |
| Veterans Day | Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | Powerball |
| Thanksgiving | Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | None (neither game draws on Thursday) |
| Christmas Eve | Thu, Dec 24, 2026 | None |
| Christmas Day | Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Mega Millions |
| New Year's Eve | Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | None |
| New Year's Day | Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Mega Millions |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Mon, Jan 18, 2027 | Powerball |
Do state lottery games draw on holidays?
Most do. Pick 3, Pick 4 and Cash 5-style games run seven days a week in many states and keep going on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Christmas is the exception that varies. Each state lottery decides for itself, and a few take the day off for some games: for Christmas 2025, Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana and New Jersey all announced that certain daily games would not draw on December 25, and South Carolina dropped its midday draws. Those games picked up their normal schedule on December 26.
Because this is set state by state and can change from year to year, check your own lottery's holiday notice in December. Each game page on this site also lists the game's regular draw days and shows its most recent result, so a missing draw is easy to spot.
What changes for players on a holiday?
The drawing is rarely the problem. Buying a ticket can be: plenty of stores close on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving, and you can only buy from a licensed retailer that's open (or online, in states that sell that way). Sales cut-off times don't move for holidays. Powerball says cut-offs "vary by selling jurisdiction", and they're usually shortly before the draw. The state-by-state times are in what time they stop selling lottery tickets.
Claiming is slower. State lottery claim centers follow state-holiday calendars and many are closed for part of the Christmas and New Year's period, although retailers can usually still pay small prizes. Bank holidays also delay transfers, so a large claim filed just before a long weekend takes longer to reach you. More on timing in how and when lottery winners get paid.
Be careful with deadlines. Don't assume a claim deadline that falls on a holiday rolls over to the next business day; the rules differ by state. If your window is close to running out, claim before the holidays start. The windows for each state are in how long you have to claim a winning ticket.
Are the odds different on a holiday draw?
No. Your odds come from the game's number matrix, and they're identical on every draw. What can differ is how many other people hold tickets. Holiday draws with a big rolling jackpot sell heavily, and more tickets make a shared jackpot more likely. That affects what a win would be worth, not your chance of winning. See the odds of winning the lottery explained and what happens if two people win.
If you're giving tickets as gifts, only give them to adults. The minimum age is 18 in most states and higher in a few; the details are in lottery age requirements by state.
Holiday lottery drawings: common questions
Is there a Powerball drawing on Christmas?
Only when Christmas falls on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday, because Powerball keeps its normal schedule on holidays. In 2026 Christmas is a Friday, so there's no Powerball draw that day, but there is a Mega Millions draw.
Is there a lottery drawing on Thanksgiving?
Not for Powerball or Mega Millions. Thanksgiving is always a Thursday, and neither game draws on Thursdays. Many state daily games, such as Pick 3 and Pick 4, still draw that night.
Do state lottery drawings happen on Christmas Day?
In most states, yes. A few states pause some daily games on December 25; for Christmas 2025 that included Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana and New Jersey. Check your state lottery's holiday announcement.
Can you buy lottery tickets on Christmas Day?
Yes, if a licensed retailer near you is open, or online in states that sell tickets that way. Many stores close for the day, and holidays don't change the sales cut-off before each draw.
What if a lottery claim deadline falls on a holiday?
Don't count on getting an extra day. Some rules treat a deadline that lands on a closed day differently from others, and claim offices shut on state holidays. File before the holiday period starts.
If gambling stops being fun, the national problem gambling helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET.
Sources: Powerball FAQ and draw results (powerball.com), Mega Millions How to Play (megamillions.com), state lottery holiday announcements for December 2025. Holiday schedules are set by each state and can change; check your lottery's site before a holiday.
