Mega Millions ticket sales usually stop 15 minutes to 1 hour before the draw, and the exact cutoff time depends on the state where you buy your ticket.

Basic cutoff rule

  • Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • Most state lotteries close sales sometime between 10:00 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. local time on draw nights, though a few stop as early as about an hour before the draw.

Examples by state

These examples show how much timing can vary:

  • New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina: sales generally stop at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights.
  • Indiana: sales cut off at 10:44 p.m. Eastern on drawing dates.
  • Louisiana: tickets must be purchased by 9:00 p.m. on draw nights.
  • Oregon: cutoff is around 7:00 p.m. Pacific on Tuesdays and Fridays.
  • South Carolina: ticket sales stop at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
  • South Dakota: cutoff is 9:00 p.m. Central / 8:00 p.m. Mountain on drawing nights.

How to find your exact time

Because rules change and differ by state, the safest approach is:

  1. Check your state lottery’s official website page for Mega Millions draw times and sales cutoff times. Many list a specific minute (for example, 10:45 p.m.).
  1. Ask a local lottery retailer earlier in the evening on a draw day; retailers usually know the current cutoff time.
  2. If you use an official state lottery app, look for a “purchase by” time shown when you try to buy a Mega Millions ticket on a draw day.

Practical rule of thumb

  • Try to buy your ticket at least 1–2 hours before the scheduled drawing time to avoid missing the cutoff, especially if you are unsure of your state’s exact rule.
  • Remember that online or app-based sales (where allowed) may have the same or slightly earlier cutoff than in-store purchases, so do not wait until the last minute.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.