You can usually buy Mega Millions tickets up until about 15 minutes to 1 hour before the drawing, but the exact cutoff depends on your state and how you purchase (in-store vs. app/online).

Key facts

  • Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • Many states stop inā€‘store sales around 10:45 p.m. ET as a general guideline, but some close earlier.
  • Cutoff times can vary widely by state lottery, typically anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour before the drawing.
  • Thirdā€‘party lottery apps and courier services often close sales up to 2 hours before the drawing to process orders.

State-by-state variation

Because there is no single universal cutoff, each state lottery sets its own latest purchase time.

Typical patterns include:

  • Some states mirror the ā€œstandardā€ Mega Millions cutoff around 10:45 p.m. ET on draw nights.
  • Others stop sales earlier (30ā€“60 minutes before that) due to local rules and system processing.
  • A few examples from news and lottery guidance show cutoffs 15 minutes to over an hour before 11 p.m. ET.

Online and app purchases

Buying through official state websites or licensed courier apps changes the timing a bit.

  • Apps and online services often set earlier internal deadlines to ensure tickets are actually purchased from the lottery in time.
  • Some popular courier apps require that you place your order up to 2 hours before the 11 p.m. ET drawing.
  • Online accounts can be convenient for checking winnings automatically, but you still must beat that serviceā€™s cutoff.

Practical advice

To avoid missing out:

  1. Check your state lotteryā€™s official site for the exact Mega Millions sales cutoff time where you live. This is the only definitive answer for your location.
  1. If you use an app or online courier, verify its posted deadline , which may be earlier than the stateā€™s retail cutoff.
  1. Aim to buy at least a couple of hours before the drawing on bigā€‘jackpot nights, as lines and app demand can cause delays.

In practice: think of the ā€œrealisticā€ latest time as no later than about 10:00ā€“10:30 p.m. ET at a store, and earlier if using an app , but always confirm your own stateā€™s rules.

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