How to Play in Minnesota

You can play a variety of exciting lotteries in Minnesota, including the multi-state games Powerball and Mega Millions which regularly offer jackpots worth hundreds of millions of dollars. As well as visiting a retailer and filling in a playslip, you can also play through a lottery messenger service.

Courier services such as theLotter allow you to make your selections online, then they send a local agent out to buy tickets on your behalf. You’ll be able to see a scanned copy of the ticket in your digital account, so your numbers are fully secure. Find out more about how it works for Powerball and Mega Millions.

Powerball

The Minnesota Lottery has offered Powerball since the game started in 1992, and players from the Land of 10,000 Lakes have enjoyed considerable success with more than 20 jackpot wins. Draw days are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Here is how to play Powerball in Minnesota:

• Choose your own numbers – five main numbers from 1 to 69 and a Powerball between 1 and 26 - or get a Quick Pick.
• For an additional cost, you have the option to add Power Play. This option boosts the value of any non-jackpot prize you win, potentially by a multiple of 10x.
• Decide how many consecutive drawings to enter. You can play your numbers in as many as 14 draws in a row.
• Purchase your entries before the cut-off time. Retail sales close at 9:00 p.m. CT on draw days, so a lottery courier may suspend its play option earlier.

You can log in to your online account to view a scanned copy of your ticket, or just keep your paper entry safe if you have played in-store. When the draw takes place, you win prizes by matching your numbers to those that are selected. Get them all and you’ll land the jackpot, which is always worth at least $20 million.

Mega Millions

You can look forward to Mega Millions draws every Tuesday and Friday, with ticket sales stopping at 9:00 p.m. CT and the numbers selected an hour later. The steps below outline how to play Mega Millions in Minnesota.

• Visit an authorized retailer or sign up with a lottery courier service.
• Choose five main numbers from 1 to 70 and a Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Alternatively, select a Quick Pick if you want a random set.
• Select how many consecutive drawings you wish to enter, up to a maximum of 14.
• Pay for your entries and wait for the draw to take place.

You can win in nine different prize tiers, right up to the jackpot if you match all six numbers. The grand prize begins at $20 million and keeps climbing until it is won, so it has been known to go higher than $1 billion.

Claiming Prizes in Minnesota

It couldn’t be much simpler to claim a prize in Minnesota if you play through a lottery courier. The majority of prizes are paid straight into your online account, so you don’t have to go out to a retailer to pick up your money like you would if you bought your ticket in a store. For prizes of $600 or more, you’ll need to mail in your claim or visit one a lottery office. Prizes above $50,000 can only be claimed at the Minnesota Lottery’s headquarters in Roseville. The lottery courier will help to arrange payment.

The claim period is one year from the drawing date, and you can now keep your identity private in the event of a big win after a bill allowing anonymity was signed into law in 2021.

The Minnesota Lottery

Among Minnesota's raft of Powerball winners, Tom and Kathleen Morris lead the way after collecting $228 million in August 2011. They had spoken previously about how much they wanted to retire and decided the only way they would be able to afford it was to win the lottery, so they bought a ticket and managed to pocket more than they could have ever imagined.

As well as delivering great prizes to its players, the Minnesota Lottery’s mission is to support public services such as education and healthcare, as well as help to look after the state’s wildlife and areas of natural beauty.