Major U.S. lottery games

National jackpots vs. regional games

The games above fall into two broad families. Powerball and Mega Millions are the national jackpot draws, shared across most participating states and rolling over until someone hits all the numbers — which is how their prizes climb into the hundreds of millions. The “for life” game Millionaire for Life takes a different approach: instead of a single giant pot, the top prize pays a fixed amount every year for the rest of the winner’s life, with steadier, friendlier odds. Lotto America is a further multi-state jackpot draw, offered mainly across central and western states.

How the games are played

Every game on this page works by drawing a set of main numbers plus, in most cases, one special ball from a separate pool. You win the jackpot only by matching all of them, while smaller prizes reward partial matches on a fixed tier table. The size of those number pools is the single biggest factor in the published odds, so a draw that picks from 70 numbers is far harder to win than one that picks from 35. Our how-to-play guide walks through buying and checking a ticket step by step.

Where you can play

Availability depends entirely on your state. Lotteries are run jurisdiction by jurisdiction, so the exact mix of national and in-state games changes with your location, and a handful of states do not sell tickets at all. The state directory shows what is offered where, and the odds explainer puts the jackpot figures into everyday perspective. Whatever you play, the odds are fixed and published — treat every ticket as entertainment, not a strategy.