When talking about the mega millions wa game, it is important to remember where the US multi-jurisdictional dollar lottery game started out. Like many other lottery games, mega millions is a way to raise money instead of levying more taxes. The low cost of play and tremendous winning payouts attract players from all over the country. The third highest recorded jackpot was actually split by someone who played mega millions wa, and it was won on January 4, 2011 with a cash value of $380 million.

Mega millions was originally known as The Big Game and it began in 1996 with six participating states: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia. New Jersey joined the game in 1999, followed by New York and Ohio in May of 2002 and came to be known by a new name: Mega Millions. Later that year, Washington became the 10^th member state when they unveiled mega millions wa, and the popularity of the game has continued since then.

Mega millions is so popular perhaps for it's ease of play. It only costs players $1.00 per play. Players then pick six number from two separate pools of numbers ' five different numbers from 1-56 and one number from 1-46, which represents the bonus yellow ball, formerly known as the Mega Ball. Players also have the option to select Easy Pick, which will pick the numbers for you. The vast combination of numbers makes it fun for people to play. Superstitions abound when choosing which numbers to play, as some people pick numbers by birthday, and some people pick by the number they wore when they were involved in sports. With the astronomical number of combinations, you have approximately a 1 in 175,000,000 chance of winning the jackpot, which means you have matched all six of your numbers to the winning numbers that were drawn.

On top of the jackpot, there are a multitude of other possibilities to win with mega millions. If you match all 5 of your number, but miss the ever elusive bonus ball, then you win a prize of $250,000. The chances for this are roughly 1 in 4,000,000. You can match 4 of your numbers and the bonus ball and win a prize of $10,000. The odds are better here at about 1, in 700,000. If you were to match 4 winning numbers and no bonus ball, or you were to match 3 winning numbers and the bonus ball, you are elibible to win a prize of $150. Matching 3 winning numbers with no bonus ball gets you a prize of $7. While matching 2 winning numbers and the bonus ball will win you $10. One winning number and one bonus ball is worth $3 and if you just match the bonus ball but nothing else, you win $2. So you can see that even if you don't win the jackpot, there are lots of other chances to win when playing mega millions.

Mega millions has become a household name when it comes to people playing the lottery. The national attention that some of the jackpots created by mega millions has been astounding. While playing mega millions can be extremely fun and having that 'rags to riches' dream can be enticing, it is important to remember to play responsibly. The lottery is still a form of gambling and should only be played by responsible adults.