Your Guide to US Lotteries

US lotteries are big business, with dozens of major prize draws offering millions of dollars in jackpots being held around the country on a weekly basis. It is difficult for individuals to buy tickets for everything at land-based stores, but online lotteries ticket agent TheLotter ensures you never have to miss out.

Below is a guide to some of the top US lotteries and US state lotteries you will find at TheLotter. Each of them has been rewarding residents of their states and from around the United States of America for years, and there is no reason why your online lottery ticket purchase won't lead you to some jackpot glory too.

Mega Millions is the largest jackpot game in the United States, with jackpots starting at a minimum $12 million and reaching into the hundreds of millions, and other prizes worth $2 to $250,000. Drawn every Tuesday and Friday night, it requires players or agents to pick five different numbers from 1 through 56 (white balls) and one number from 1 through 46 (the Mega Ball number, a gold-colored ball). The biggest prize ever was $656 million, shared in March this year by three lucky players from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland.

This is another nationwide lottery game with jackpot prizes reaching into the hundreds of millions. Since the format change in January 2012, Powerball's minimum advertised jackpot is $40 million. Draws are held Wednesday and Saturday nights, with players required to select five numbers from 1 through 59 (white balls) and one from 1 through 36 (the powerballs). Each play costs $2, or $ if the Power Play option is added.

SuperLotto Plus is a Mega Millions-style game that has been rewarding Californians since as far back as 1986. Draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday, and the jackpot begins at $7 million each time it is reset. Five numbers are selected from a set of 47 balls, while a Mega Number is chosen from a second set of 27 balls. It is this mega number that holds the key to the ultimate jackpot, which has reached as high as $193 million (in 2002).

This is a popular game offered by the Florida Lottery. It Draws take place on Saturday and Wednesday nights, for a minimum jackpot of $2 million. Six balls are drawn from a total pot of 53, making this one of the more difficult US lottery jackpots to win. Hitting all six carries of 1:22,957,480, and results in winning the jackpot prize. Hit two balls and you win a free Lotto Xtra ticket, while three to five balls deliver varying cash prizes from $5 to $5,000.

This is the original lottery from the state of Indiana. Drawn every Wednesday and Saturday, it uses a 4/48 format. Minimum jackpot starts at $1 million, and increases by $500,000 per draw if the first two drawings fail to reward a winner. Games cost $1 each to purchase, which is cheap compared to other state lottos. Another advantage is that the odds of winning are 1:7, which is higher than almost all other lotteries.

This is drawn every Monday and Thursday evenings, with six balls from 1 through 49 coming out. Games cost $1 to play, for a minimum jackpot of $2 million which increases by at least $200,000 per rollover until a 6-of-6 winner emerges. This is one of the oldest games of its kind in the US, going way back to May 1980. It has always been one of the simpler games too, requiring no bonus number.

This game is drawn every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evening, drawing 6 numbers from a set of 48. Buy two sets of number for every $1 you play, and you'll be in the running for a minimum $1 million jackpot. Add the Kicker multiplier option by paying an extra $1 for every $1 played on Megabucks. You win four times as much when you match four or five numbers, and $4 for matching three numbers.

Lotto is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays, Sweet Million is drawn Monday and Thursday nights. Both require players to choose six numbers, with Lotto providing a pool of 59 numbers followed by a bonus ball, and Sweet Million a pool of 40 numbers. Win a minimum jackpot of $3 million for Lotto or $1 million Sweet Million. And this is just the beginning in terms of what the NY State Lottery has to offer.