Brazil - Mega Sena

Mega Sena

Mega Sena is one of Brazil’s biggest lottery games.

Draws are held twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons at 14:00 Brasilia Standard Time.

Tickets cost BRL 6.50.

To play, choose six numbers between 1 and 60, or go for a Surprise for numbers chosen at random.

Players can increase the odds of winning by using System Entry to enter up to 15 numbers in multiple combinations.

Players can also buy a stake in preselected Balloon combinations of numbers, purchased by multiple participants. Entry works out cheaper per line, but prizes are shared among everyone who buys a stake.

Mega Sena does not have any additional opportunities to win prizes beyond the main draw.

Jackpot

Mega Sena has a minimum guaranteed jackpot of BRL 2 million.

This is a rollover lottery with no rollover of jackpot limits.

Every New Year’s Eve, the lottery operator hosts a special Mega de Virada draw with a vastly increased jackpot to help lucky winners start the New Year with a huge windfall.

Thanks to the New Year’s Eve draws, the biggest ever Mega Sena jackpots are:

• BRL 306.7 million on December 31, 2017.
• BRL 304.2 million on December 31, 2019.
• BRL 302.5 million on December 31, 2018.

The highest ever non-New Year’s Eve Mega Sena jackpot was BRL 289.4 million on December 5, 2019.

Odds and Prizes

The odds of winning the Mega Sena jackpot are 1 in 50,063,860. These are very long odds for a relatively small jackpot, with bigger jackpots at far better odds available from other lotteries.

Players can win Mega Sena prizes at three different tiers.

Payout and Taxes

Mega Sena winnings are subject to 13.8% income tax, but because tax is levied at source, players get to keep the full advertised amount.

Players have up to 90 days to make a claim, with prizes paid out as lump sums only.

Anyone playing Mega Sena from overseas should check local tax laws to find out if they need to pay tax on winnings at home.

Who Can Play Mega Sena?

Players must be at least 18 years of age to play Mega Sena.

Tickets can be purchased from authorized retailers across Brazil or from the official Mega Sena website.

Overseas players can play Mega Sena via selected Lottery Agent websites.

History of Mega Sena

Launched on March 4, 1996, Mega Sena is operated by Caixa Econômica Federal.