Frequently Asked Questions

Mega Sena draws usually take place on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8pm. However, there are some weeks during the year when the schedule might be different.

The Mega Sena schedule was updated in August 2023 to three draws a week. Draws previously took place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, although there were sometimes special Mega Weeks when draws were held three times. They usually happened around once a month to coincide with significant dates. Go to the Draw Calendar for a full schedule of upcoming draws.

For a basic single entry, select six numbers from 1 to 60. If you don’t want to choose your own numbers, go for a Surpresinha and your numbers will be generated randomly for you.

Yes, you can select between 6 and 15 numbers. By choosing more than six numbers, you enter more combinations into the draw and boost your chances of winning. Go to the How to Play page to learn more, and remember that you have to pay for each additional combination you enter.

It costs R$4.50 for a minimum bet of six numbers.

A 7-number bet costs R$31.50, as it gives you seven different combinations and you have to pay for each one.

Yes, you can play just the next draw or enter multiple consecutive draws. The options are to play for two, four or eight draws in advance.

The minimum age to play Mega Sena is 18.

Yes, you can play as part of a Bolão, which is a method of betting where you select your numbers as part of a group, and win any prizes together.

The Mega Sena jackpot for the next draw will be worth an estimated R$600 Million

The jackpot is determined by ticket sales so there is not a minimum amount, but it usually starts at around R$3 million and accumulates to the next draw if nobody wins.

There is no maximum prize limit, so the top prize can keep growing until it is won. The only exception is the annual Mega da Virada draw on New Year’s Eve, when the entire prize money is guaranteed to be won.

The biggest jackpot in history was R$378 million, which was split between two ticket holders in the Mega da Virada draw on 31st December 2021.

Mega da Virada is a special draw which takes place on 31st December every year and offers a top prize worth hundreds of millions of reals. A portion of the prize fund from every regular draw throughout the year is set aside for Mega da Virada, and all the money must be won on the night. If there are no tickets that match all six numbers, the money is shared between players in the next tier down (either ‘Match 5’ or ‘Match 4’ winners).

There have been a total of 939 winners that have matched all six numbers in the history of Mega Sena.

When a Mega Sena draw number ends in a 0 or a 5, the prize pot is larger than normal. Almost a quarter of the prize fund from each of the preceding four draws is allocated to the jackpot.

You need to match four or more numbers to win a prize. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 2,298. The odds of matching all six to win the top prize are 1 in 50,063,860.

A percentage of the prize money is allocated to each of the three tiers, so the amount varies from draw to draw depending on the number of winners and the size of the prize fund. Go to the Prizes page for more details about how to win.

You have 90 days from the date of the draw to claim any prizes you win on Mega Sena. Go to the How to Claim page to find out what you need to do to receive your money.

Yes, Mega Sena prizes above R$1,903.98 are subject to an income tax of 30 percent. This money is transferred to the federal government for funding in various sectors.

When you buy a Mega Sena ticket, 43.5 percent of the price of your bet is used to pay out prizes. Lottery operator Caixa requires a small percentage to cover administrative costs, and the rest is distributed to good causes. Take a look at where the money goes.

The first Mega Sena draw took place on 11th March 1996.