What is the luckiest state to win the lottery?
There isn't one in any meaningful sense. A state's count of big winners mostly reflects how many tickets it sells and how long it has sold the game. Powerball started in 1992 with 15 lotteries and has grown to 48; Mississippi, the most recent US lottery to join, started selling it in 2020, according to the Powerball FAQ. A large state that has sold the game for decades will have more winners than a small state that joined recently, even though each ticket has exactly the same odds.
Where you buy does matter after you win. Prizes are taxed differently from state to state: Florida and Texas, for example, have no state income tax, while other states take a share on top of federal tax. Privacy rules differ too. Texas lets winners of $1 million or more choose anonymity, and Florida keeps the names of winners of $250,000 or more confidential for 90 days. See lottery tax rates by state, the anonymity guide and best states to buy a lottery ticket.
What are the top 3 luckiest numbers?
No number is luckier than any other. In a fair drawing each ball has the same chance every time, and past results don't change that. Over any limited stretch of drawings some numbers will come up more often than others, which is what randomness looks like; the order changes as new drawings come in.
If you're curious which numbers have come up most often recently, our Powerball statistics and Mega Millions statistics pages list the hot, cold and overdue numbers over each game's last 50 drawings, as described in our methodology. Treat them as a record of what happened, not a forecast. Why "due" numbers aren't really due is explained in hot, cold and due numbers.
One choice does make a difference, though not to your chance of winning. Many players pick birthdays, which only go up to 31. Choosing some numbers above 31 doesn't improve your odds, but if you do win the jackpot, fewer other people are likely to share your combination. More in the most common lottery numbers and how to pick lottery numbers.
Is it better to play Powerball or Mega Millions?
Neither gives you a meaningfully better shot at the jackpot. The main differences are price and how the smaller prizes work.
| Powerball | Mega Millions | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per play | $2 (Power Play $1 extra) | $5, multiplier included |
| Jackpot odds | 1 in 292,201,338 | 1 in 290,472,336 |
| Odds of any prize | 1 in 24.87 | About 1 in 23 |
| Multiplier | Optional Power Play: 2x to 5x, plus 10x when the jackpot is $150 million or less | Built in: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x on every ticket |
| Match 5 white balls | $1 million; $2 million with Power Play | $2 million to $10 million |
| Drawings | Mon, Wed, Sat at 10:59 PM ET | Tue, Fri at 11:00 PM ET |
Figures are from the official Powerball prize chart and the Mega Millions how-to-play page.
For a fixed budget, Powerball gives you two and a half times as many plays, and so about two and a half times as many chances at a jackpot. Mega Millions costs more per play but pays larger non-jackpot prizes on every winning ticket. Either way the jackpot odds are around 1 in 290 million per play. The full comparison is in Powerball vs Mega Millions.
Why is Mega Millions $5 now?
The price rose from $2 to $5 with the April 8, 2025 drawing. The Mega Millions announcement called it only the second price change in the game's history (the first was $1 to $2 in 2017) and said players had asked for bigger non-jackpot prizes. Along with the price, the game changed in four ways:
- The Mega Ball pool went from 25 numbers to 24, improving the jackpot odds from 1 in 302,575,350 to 1 in 290,472,336.
- A random multiplier of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x is built into every ticket and applies to all non-jackpot prizes. The optional $1 Megaplier was retired.
- The starting jackpot after a win rose from $20 million to $50 million, and the game said jackpots were expected to grow faster.
- Every winning ticket now pays at least $10, and the odds of winning any prize improved from about 1 in 24 to about 1 in 23.
How the change has worked out for sales and for players is covered in Mega Millions after the $5 overhaul.
Luckiest states and numbers FAQ
What state has the most lottery winners?
States that sell the most tickets, and have sold a game for the longest, produce the most winners. That's a matter of volume, not luck: every ticket has the same odds wherever it's sold.
What are the luckiest lottery numbers?
There aren't any. Each number has the same chance in every drawing. Some numbers appear more often over a given period by chance, and our statistics pages show those counts for the last 50 drawings, but they don't predict the next draw.
Is it better to play Powerball or Mega Millions?
The jackpot odds are almost the same: 1 in 292,201,338 for Powerball and 1 in 290,472,336 for Mega Millions. Powerball is cheaper at $2 a play; Mega Millions costs $5 but includes a multiplier on every non-jackpot prize.
Why did Mega Millions go up to $5?
The game was redesigned from the April 8, 2025 drawing to offer bigger non-jackpot prizes. Every ticket now includes a 2x to 10x multiplier, the starting jackpot rose to $50 million and the jackpot odds improved slightly.
Sources: powerball.com (FAQs, prize chart), megamillions.com (How to Play, April 2025 announcement), Texas Government Code § 466.411, Florida Statutes § 24.1051.
