Mega Millions
Betting Mega Millions as lucky numbers means placing a fixed-odds bet on what the Mega Millions draw produces — not buying a ticket and not chasing the jackpot pool. You pick one to five numbers, set your stake, and the bookmaker pays a fixed multiple if your picks are drawn. Mega Millions is the other American heavyweight alongside US Powerball, famous for its huge jackpots, but as a lucky-numbers bet none of that pot matters: you’re paid by the book, at odds fixed the moment you bet.
The draw is a real Mega Millions draw — five main numbers from a pool of 1 to 70, plus one Mega Ball from a separate pool. You back the numbers you fancy, not a full matching line. Every Mega Millions market is live at Scorebet.
What betting Mega Millions as lucky numbers means
You’re betting a bookmaker on the draw, the same way you’d back a sports result — not entering the American lottery. The headline jackpots are about US ticket-holders sharing a pool; they have nothing to do with your bet.
Pick your numbers, set your stake. If enough of your picks are among the drawn balls, you collect stake times the fixed multiple. If not, you lose the stake. Settlement is automatic once the official draw is confirmed.
The appeal is betting one of the world’s biggest-name draws without a US ticket, currency conversion or the wait — and with the risk fully under your control.
When is the Mega Millions draw in SAST?
Mega Millions draws twice a week — Tuesday and Friday nights, US time. Because the draw happens on a US evening, it lands in the early hours SAST — you’re effectively betting on the previous night’s American draw.
The exact SAST time shifts with US daylight saving, so use the live next-draw clock at Scorebet rather than working off a fixed slot. Two draws a week makes Mega Millions a “mark the calendar” bet rather than constant action, and its Tuesday/Friday rhythm sits opposite the Monday/Wednesday/Saturday cadence of US Powerball.
The format and bet types
Mega Millions has a two-pool structure, which shapes the betting:
| Pool | Numbers | Drawn |
|---|---|---|
| Main | 1 to 70 | 5 |
| Mega Ball | separate pool | 1 |
The core lucky-numbers market is on the main numbers — back one to five of your picks (1-ball to 5-ball) to land among the five drawn. More balls, bigger multiple, longer odds, exactly as with any draw.
Where operators offer it, the Mega Ball can be a separate market at its own fixed odds — a single ball from its own pool is a different shape of bet again. Odd/even side bets may also appear. Check which Mega Millions markets are live at Scorebet before you stake.
How the payouts and odds scale
Same blunt rule: asking more numbers to land makes the outcome rarer, so the multiple climbs steeply. A 1-ball bet on the main pool pays a modest multiple; a 5-ball pays a big one and rarely hits.
The 70-ball main pool is the largest in the lucky-numbers menu, which lengthens the odds on each main-number bet — your single number has a slimmer chance of dropping than on a 49, 50 or 69-ball draw. The book’s margin sits inside every price, and the exact fixed odds vary by operator, so check the live Mega Millions odds at Scorebet before staking.
A worked example in rand
Stake R50 on a single main number (1-ball) at fixed odds of, for example, 9.00.
- Your number is drawn: R50 × 9.00 = R450 back (R400 profit).
- Your number isn’t drawn: you lose the R50.
Because only five main balls come out of a 70-ball pool, a 1-ball here is fractionally longer than the same bet on a smaller draw — which is exactly why the multiple is a little higher. Match the bet to the strike rate you want, not the size of the multiple.
How to check the Mega Millions results
Mega Millions is a real, public draw — five main balls plus one Mega Ball, on Tuesday and Friday US nights. Your bet settles automatically against the confirmed result, so there’s nothing to claim. At Scorebet the result and your settlement show in the app within minutes of the draw being confirmed.
Will your Mega Millions bet pay out?
Yes — it’s a fixed-odds bet, so your potential return is locked the instant you place it. No jackpot rollover, no pool split, no shared prize touches what you’re paid; you’re owed stake times your fixed multiple, full stop. Settlement runs automatically against the official Mega Millions result, usually within minutes, into your wallet, and withdrawals follow the normal local rails — Instant EFT, cards, e-wallets — once you’re FICA-verified. The honest caveat: the 70-ball pool is the largest going, so the long-odds 4 and 5-ball bets are priced firmly in the book’s favour. Keep them rare and lean on the shorter bets if you want staying power.
Playing Mega Millions smart
Treat the twice-a-week cadence as built-in discipline — you’re not pulled into constant action. Back shorter bets (1 to 3 ball) for steadier returns, save the 5-ball longshot for an occasional punt, and only ever stake what you’d be fine losing. The big-jackpot branding is marketing; your bet is a clean fixed-odds wager, so play it like one, and the early-hours SAST timing makes it easy to set a bet and check the result in the morning.
For how lucky numbers works across every draw, see the full Lucky Numbers guide. For the other American giant on a three-night schedule, read US Powerball next.
Frequently asked
What days is the Mega Millions draw?
Mega Millions draws twice a week — Tuesday and Friday nights, US time. Those land in the early hours SAST, so check the next-draw clock at Scorebet rather than working off a fixed local slot.
Can you bet on Mega Millions without buying a ticket in South Africa?
Yes. Betting it as lucky numbers means placing a fixed-odds bet with the bookmaker on the draw's outcome — no ticket, no jackpot pool. You back one to five of your own numbers to be drawn and get paid your stake times a fixed multiple if they land.
What is the Mega Ball in Mega Millions betting?
Mega Millions draws five main numbers from 1 to 70 plus one Mega Ball from a separate pool. When betting it as lucky numbers, your core market is the main numbers; where operators offer it, the Mega Ball can be a separate market at its own fixed odds.
Why does the Mega Ball come from its own pool instead of the main 70?
Because it's a second independent draw machine, which is what lets the official game stretch the jackpot odds so far. For your bet it means a Mega Ball market is scored only against that separate draw — a number you backed in the main pool can't double up as the Mega Ball. Treat them as two different events with two different prices.
Why are Mega Millions single-number odds a touch longer than on US Powerball?
Because the main pool is bigger — five balls from 70 versus five from 69 — so each individual number has a fractionally slimmer chance of landing. The book reflects that with a marginally higher multiplier on a 1-ball. It's a small gap, but it's why the same-shaped bet pays a little more here than on Powerball.