Texas Administrative Code
Title 16 - ECONOMIC REGULATION
Part 9 - TEXAS LOTTERY COMMISSION
Chapter 401 - ADMINISTRATION OF STATE LOTTERY ACT
Subchapter D - LOTTERY GAME RULES
Section 401.315 - "Mega Millions" Draw Game Rule
Universal Citation: 16 TX Admin Code § 401.315
Current through Reg. 50, No. 13; March 28, 2025
(a) Mega Millions®. The Multi-State Lottery Association ("MUSL") has entered into an Agreement ("Cross-Sell Agreement") with those U.S. lotteries operating under an agreement to sell a draw game known as Mega Millions ("Mega Millions Lotteries") to permit the MUSL Party Lotteries who are members of the MUSL Mega Millions Product Group ("Product Group"), including the Texas Lottery Commission (commission), to sell the Mega Millions lottery game. The purpose of the Mega Millions game is the generation of revenue for Mega Millions Lotteries and Product Group members participating under the Cross-Sell Agreement, through the operation of a specially designed multi-jurisdiction lottery game that will award prizes to ticket holders matching specified combinations of numbers randomly selected in regularly scheduled drawings. The Mega Millions game is authorized to be conducted by the commission executive director (executive director) under the conditions of the Cross-Sell Agreement, MUSL rules, the laws of the State of Texas, this section, and under such further instructions, directives, and procedures as the executive director may issue in furtherance thereof. In this regard, the executive director is authorized to issue such further instructions and directives as may be necessary to conform the conduct and play of the Mega Millions game to the requirements of the MUSL rules and the Cross-Sell Agreement, if, in the opinion of the executive director, such instructions, directives, and procedures are in conformance with state law. To be clear, the authority to participate in the Mega Millions game is provided to the commission by MUSL through the Cross-Sell Agreement. The conduct and play of the Mega Millions game must conform to the Product Group's Mega Millions game rules ("MUSL MM Rules"). Further, if a conflict arises between this section and § 401.304 of this chapter, this section shall have precedence. In addition to other applicable rules contained in Chapter 401, this section and definitions herein apply unless the context requires a different meaning or is otherwise inconsistent with the intent of the MUSL MM Rules adopted by the Product Group.
(b) Definitions. In addition to the definitions provided in § 401.301 of this subchapter (relating to General Definitions), and unless the context in this section otherwise requires, the following definitions apply.
(1) "Agent" or "retailer" means a person or
entity authorized by the commission to sell lottery Plays.
(2) "Drawing" refers collectively to the
formal draw event for randomly selecting the winning numbers that determine the
number of winning Plays for each prize level of the Mega Millions game and
Megaplier® Promotion.
(3) "Game ticket" or "ticket" means an
acceptable evidence of Play, which is a ticket produced in a manner that meets
the specifications defined in the MUSL rules or the rules of each Selling
Lottery, and is a physical representation of the Play or Plays sold to the
player as described in subsection (g) of this section (Ticket
Validation).
(4) "Just the
Jackpot® Play" ("JJ Play") shall refer to a
wager purchased which includes two (2) Plays as part of the Just the Jackpot
Promotion as described in subsection (l) of this section.
(5) "Megaplier Plays" shall refer to Plays
purchased as part of the Megaplier Promotion described in subsection (k) of
this section.
(6) "Mega Millions
Lotteries" refers to those lotteries that have joined under the Mega Millions
Lottery Agreement and that have entered into the Cross-Sell Agreement with MUSL
for the selling of the Mega Millions game by the Product Group. "Mega Millions
Finance Committee" refers to a Committee of the Mega Millions Lotteries that
determines the Grand Prize amount (cash value option and annuity).
(7) "Mega Millions Plays" ("MM Plays") shall
refer to Plays purchased as part of the Mega Millions game, but shall not
include JJ Plays or Megaplier Plays.
(8) "MUSL" means the Multi-State Lottery
Association, a government-benefit association wholly owned and operated by the
MUSL Party Lotteries.
(9) "MUSL
Board" means the governing body of the MUSL, which is comprised of the chief
executive officer of each Party Lottery.
(10) "Party Lottery" means a state lottery or
lottery of a political subdivision or entity that has joined MUSL and, in the
context of the Product Group rules, has joined in selling the games offered by
the Product Group. "Selling Lottery" or "Participating Lottery" shall mean a
state lottery or lottery of a political subdivision or entity that is
participating in selling the Mega Millions game and that may be a member of
either the Product Group or the Mega Million Lotteries.
(11) "Play" means a set of six (6) numbers,
the first five (5) from a field of seventy (70) numbers and the last one (1)
from a field of twenty-five (25) numbers, that appear on a ticket and are to be
played by a player in the game. As used in this section, unless otherwise
indicated, "Play" includes both Mega Millions Plays ("MM Plays") and Just the
Jackpot Plays ("JJ Play"). "Megaplier Plays" are separately described in
subsection (k) of this section.
(12) "Prize" means an amount paid to a person
or entity holding a winning ticket. The terms "Grand Prize" or "Jackpot" may be
used interchangeably and shall refer to the top prize in the Mega Millions
game. "Advertised Grand Prize" or "Advertised Jackpot" shall mean the estimated
annuitized Grand Prize amount as determined by the Mega Millions Finance
Committee and communicated through the Selling Lotteries prior to the next Mega
Millions Drawing. The Advertised Grand Prize is not a guaranteed prize amount
and the actual Grand Prize amount may vary from the advertised amount, except
in circumstances where there is a guaranteed Grand Prize amount as described in
subsection (f)(1) of this section.
(13) "Product Group" means the MUSL Party
Lotteries who are members of the MUSL Mega Millions Product Group and who offer
the Mega Millions game product pursuant to the terms of the Cross-Sell
Agreement between MUSL and the Mega Millions Lotteries, and in accordance with
the Multi-State Lottery Agreement and the MUSL MM Rules.
(14) "Set Prize" or "low-tier prize" means
all other prizes, except the Grand Prize and, except in instances outlined in
this section, or the MUSL MM Rules, will be equal to the prize amount
established by the MUSL Board for the prize level.
(15) "Terminal" means a device authorized by
the commission for the purpose of issuing Mega Millions game tickets and as
defined in §
401.301(General Definitions) of
this chapter.
(16) "Winning
Numbers" means the indicia or numbers randomly selected during a Drawing event
which shall be used to determine the winning Plays for the Mega Millions game
contained on a game ticket.
(c) Game Description. Mega Millions is a five (5) out of seventy (70) plus one (1) out of twenty-five (25) lottery game drawn on the day(s), time(s) and location(s) as determined by the Mega Millions Lotteries, and which pays the Grand Prize, at the election of the player made in accordance with this section, or by a default election made in accordance with this section, either on a graduated annuitized annual pari-mutuel basis or as a cash value option using a rate determined by the Mega Millions Finance Committee on a pari-mutuel basis. Except as provided in this section, all other prizes are paid on a single payment basis. During the Drawing event, five (5) numbers shall be drawn from the first set of seventy (70) numbers, and one (1) number shall be drawn from the second set of twenty-five (25) numbers, which shall constitute the Winning Numbers.
(1) Mega
Millions Play. To play Mega Millions, a player shall select (or request a Quick
Pick) five (5) different numbers, from one (1) through seventy (70) and one (1)
additional number from one (1) through twenty-five (25). The additional number
may be the same as one of the first five numbers selected by the player. MM
Plays can be purchased for two dollars (U.S. $2.00), including any specific
statutorily-mandated tax of a Party Lottery to be included in the price of a
lottery Play. Plays may be purchased from a Party Lottery approved sales outlet
in a manner as approved by the Party Lottery and in accordance MUSL
rules.
(2) Claims. A ticket shall
be the only proof of a game Play or Plays and is subject to the validation
requirements set forth in subsection (g) of this section. The submission of a
winning ticket to the commission or its authorized agent shall be the sole
method of claiming a prize or prizes. A playslip has no pecuniary or prize
value and shall not constitute evidence of Play purchase or of numbers
selected. A terminal-produced paper receipt has no pecuniary or prize value and
shall not constitute evidence of Play purchase or of numbers
selected.
(3) Cancellations
Prohibited. In all instances, a Play recorded on the Lottery gaming system may
not be voided or cancelled by returning the ticket to the selling agent or to
the commission, including tickets that are misprinted, illegible, printed in
error, or for any reason not successfully transferred to an authorized selling
entity or player. A Selling Lottery may develop an approved method of
compensating retailers for Plays that are not transferred to a player for a
reason acceptable to the Selling Lottery and not prohibited by the Mega
Millions Product Group. No Play that is eligible for a prize can be returned to
the commission for credit. Plays accepted by retailers as returned Plays and
which cannot be re-sold shall be deemed owned by the bearer thereof.
(4) Maximum Purchase. The maximum number of
consecutive drawings on a single Play purchase is ten (10).
(5) Subscription sales. A subscription sales
program may be offered, at the discretion of the executive director.
(d) Mega Millions Prize Pool. The prize pool for all prize categories offered by the Party Lotteries shall consist of up to fifty-five percent (55%) of each Drawing period's sales, inclusive of any specific statutorily-mandated tax of a Party Lottery to be included in the price of a MM Play, and inclusive of contributions to the prize pool accounts and prize reserve accounts, but may be higher or lower based upon the number of winning Plays at each prize level, as well as the funding required to meet a guaranteed Annuity Grand Prize as may be required by subsection (f)(1) of this section.
(1) Mega
Millions Prize Pool Accounts and Prize Reserve Accounts. The Product Group
shall set the contribution rates to the Prize Pool and Prize Reserve Accounts
established by this section.
(A) The following
Prize Reserve Account for the Mega Millions game is hereby established: the
Prize Reserve Account (PRA) which is used to guarantee the payment of valid,
but unanticipated, Grand Prize claims that may result from a system error or
other reason, to fund deficiencies in the Set-Aside Pool, and to fund
pari-mutuel prize deficiencies as defined and limited in subsections (d)(3)(A)
and (k)(9)(B)(i) of this section.
(B) The following Prize Pool Accounts for the
Mega Millions game are hereby established:
(i) The Grand Prize Pool (GPP), which is used
to fund the current Grand Prize;
(ii) The Set Prize Pool (SPP), which is used
the fund the Set Prizes. The SPP shall hold the temporary balances that may
result from having fewer than expected winners in the Set Prize (aka low-tier
prize) categories. The source of the SPP is the Party Lottery's weekly prize
contributions less actual Set Prize liability; and
(iii) The Set-Aside Pool (SAP), which is used
to fund the payment of the awarded minimum starting Annuity Grand Prizes and
the minimum Annuity Grand Prize increase, if necessary (subject to the
limitations in this section or the MUSL MM Rules), as may be set by the Product
Group. The source of the SAP funding shall accumulate from the difference
between the amount in the Grand Prize Pool at the time of a Grand Prize win and
the amount needed to fund Grand Prize payments as determined by the Mega
Millions Lotteries.
(C)
The above Prize Reserve Account shall have maximum balance amounts or balance
limiter triggers that are set by the Product Group and are detailed in the
Comments to MUSL MM Rule 28. The maximum balance amounts and
balance limit triggers are subject to review by the MUSL Board Finance and
Audit Committee. The Finance and Audit Committee shall have two weeks to state
objections, if any, to the approved maximum balance amounts or balance limiter
triggers. Approved maximum balance amounts or balance limiter triggers shall
become effective no sooner than two weeks after notice is given to the Finance
and Audit Committee and no objection is stated or sooner if the Committee
affirmatively approves the maximum balance amounts or balance limiter triggers.
The Product Group may appeal the Committee's objections to the full Board.
Group approved changes in the maximum balance amounts or balance limiter
triggers set by the Product Group shall be effective only after the next Grand
Prize win.
(D) The contribution
rate to the GPP from MM Plays shall be 37.6509% of sales. An amount up to five
percent (5%) of a Party Lottery's sales, including any specific statutorily
mandated tax of a Party Lottery to be included in the price of a lottery play,
shall be added to a Party Lottery's Mega Millions Prize Pool contribution and
placed in trust in one or more prize pool and prize reserve accounts held by
the Product Group at any time that the Party Lottery's share of the PRA is
below the amounts designated by the Product Group. Details shall be noted in
the Comments to MUSL MM Rule 28.
(E) The Product Group may determine to expend
all or a portion of the funds in the prize pools (except the GPP) and the prize
reserve accounts:
(i) for the purpose of
indemnifying the Party Lotteries in the payment of prizes to be made by the
Selling Lotteries; and
(ii) for the
payment of prizes or special prizes in the game, limited to prize pool and
prize reserve contributions from lotteries participating in the special prize
promotion, subject to the approval of the Board's Finance & Audit Committee
or that Committee's failure to object after given two weeks' notice of the
planned action, which actions may be appealed to the full Board by the Product
Group.
(F) The prize
reserve shares of a Party Lottery may be adjusted with refunds to the Party
Lottery from the prize reserve account(s) as may be needed to maintain the
approved maximum balance and sales percentage shares of the Party
Lotteries.
(G) A Party Lottery may
contribute to its sales percentage share of prize reserve accounts over time,
but in the event of a draw down from a reserve account, a Party Lottery is
responsible for its full sales percentage share of the prize reserve account,
whether or not it has been paid in full.
(H) Any amount remaining in the Mega Millions
prize pool accounts or prize reserve accounts when the Product Group declares
the end of the game shall be returned to the lotteries participating in the
prize pool and prize reserve accounts after the end of all claim periods of all
Selling Lotteries, carried forward to a replacement game, or otherwise expended
in a manner at the election of the individual Members of the Product Group in
accordance with jurisdiction statute.
(2) Expected Prize Payout Percentages. The
Grand Prize payout shall be determined on a pari-mutuel basis. Except as
otherwise provided in this section, all other prizes awarded shall be paid as
single payment prizes. All prize payouts are made with the following expected
prize payout percentages, which does not include an additional amount held in
prize reserves, although the prize payout percentages per draw may vary:
(A) The Grand Prize amount shall be divided
equally by the number of MM Plays and JJ Plays winning the Grand
Prize.
(B) The SPP (for payment of
single payment prizes of one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) or less) shall be
carried forward to subsequent draws if all or a portion of it is not needed to
pay the set prizes awarded in the current draw.
(3) Pari-mutuel Prize Determinations. Except
as otherwise provided for in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph below:
(A) If the total of the Mega Millions Set
Prizes (as multiplied by the respective Megaplier multiplier, if applicable)
awarded in a drawing exceeds the percentage of the prize pool allocated to the
Mega Millions Set Prizes, then the amount needed to fund the Mega Millions Set
Prizes, including Megaplier prizes, awarded shall be drawn from the following
sources, in the following order:
(i) the
amount available in the SPP and the Megaplier Prize Pool, if any;
(ii) an amount from the PRA, if available,
not to exceed forty million dollars ($40,000,000.00) per drawing.
(B) If, after these sources are
depleted, there are not sufficient funds to pay the Set Prizes, including
Megaplier prizes, then the highest Set Prize shall become a pari-mutuel prize.
If the amount of the highest Set Prize, including Megaplier prizes, when paid
on a pari-mutuel basis, drops to or below the next highest Set Prize and there
are still not sufficient funds to pay the remaining Set Prizes awarded, then
the next highest Set Prize shall become a pari-mutuel prize. This procedure
shall continue down through all Set Prize levels, if necessary, until all Set
Prize levels become pari-mutuel prize levels. In that instance, the money
available from the funding sources listed in this section shall be divided
among the winning MM Plays in proportion to their respective prize percentages.
Mega Millions and Megaplier prizes will be reduced by the same
percentage.
(C) By agreement with
the Mega Millions Lotteries, the Mega Millions Lotteries shall independently
calculate their set pari-mutuel prize amounts. The Party Lotteries and the Mega
Millions Lotteries shall than agree to set the pari-mutuel prize amount for all
lotteries selling the game at the lesser of the independently-calculated prize
amounts.
(4) Except as
may be required by subsection (f)(1) of this section, the official advertised
Grand Prize annuity amount is subject to change based on sales forecasts and/or
actual sales.
(5) Subject to the
laws and rules governing each Party Lottery, the number of prize categories and
the allocation of the prize fund among the prize categories may be changed at
the discretion of the Mega Millions Lotteries, for promotional purposes. Such
change shall be announced by Mega Millions Lotteries.
(e) Probability of Winning Mega Millions Prizes. The following table sets forth the probability of winning and the probable distribution of winning Plays in and among each prize category for MM Plays, based upon the total number of possible combinations in Mega Millions.
(f) Mega Millions Prize Payment.
(1) Mega Millions
Grand Prize. The prize money allocated from the current Mega Millions prize
pool for the Grand Prize, plus any previous portions of prize money allocated
to the Grand Prize category in which no matching MM Plays or JJ Plays were sold
will be divided equally among all Grand Prize winning MM Plays and JJ Plays in
all Participating Lotteries. The Annuity Grand Prize amount will be paid in
thirty (30) graduated annual installments. Grand Prizes won shall be funded by
the Selling Lotteries in accordance with the formula set by the Mega Millions
Lotteries. The Mega Millions Lotteries may set a minimum guaranteed annuitized
Grand Prize amount that shall be advertised by the Selling Lotteries as the
starting guaranteed annuitized Grand Prize amount. At the time of ticket
purchase, a player must select a payment option of either a single cash value
payment or annuitized payments of a share of the Grand Prize if the Play is a
winning Play. A player's selection of the payment option at the time of
purchase from the commission is final and cannot be revoked, withdrawn, or
otherwise changed. If no selection is made, payment option will be as described
in the chart below:
(2) Mega Millions Prize Rollover.
If in any Mega Millions Drawing there are no MM Plays or JJ Plays that qualify
for the Grand Prize category, the portion of the prize fund allocated to such
Grand Prize category shall remain in the Grand Prize category and be added to
the amount allocated for the Grand Prize category in the next consecutive Mega
Millions Drawing.
(3) A player(s)
who elects a cash value option payment shall be paid his/her share(s) in a
single cash payment upon completion of validation procedures determined by the
commission. The cash value option amount shall be determined by the Mega
Millions Lotteries.
(4) All
annuitized prizes shall be paid annually in thirty (30) graduated annual
installments upon completion of validation procedure determined by the
commission. The initial payment shall be paid upon completion of the validation
procedures and the subsequent twenty-nine (29) payments shall be paid annually
to coincide with the winning draw date, and shall escalate by a factor of 5%
annually. Prize payments may be rounded down to the nearest one thousand
dollars ($1,000) increment. The annuitized option prize shall be determined by
multiplying the winning Play's share of the Grand Prize Pool by the annuity
factor established in accordance with Texas law and the rules of the Texas
Comptroller of Public Accounts.
(5)
If individual shares of the Grand Prize Pool funds held to fund an annuity is
less than $250,000.00, the Product Group, in its sole discretion, may elect to
pay the winners their share of the cash held in the Grand Prize Pool.
(6) Funds for the initial payment of an
annuitized prize or the lump sum cash value option payment shall be made
available by MUSL for payment by the Party Lottery on a schedule approved by
the Product Group. If necessary, when the due date for the payment of a prize
occurs before the receipt of funds in the prize pool trust sufficient to pay
the prize, the transfer of funds for the payment of the full cash value option
payment amount may be delayed pending receipt of funds from the Party Lotteries
or other lotteries participating in the Mega Millions game. A Party Lottery may
elect to make the initial payment from its own funds after validation, with
notice to MUSL.
(7) Payment of
Prize Payments upon the Death of a Prize Winner. In the event of the death of a
prize winner, payments may be made in accordance with §
401.310 of this chapter (relating
to Payment of Prize Payments Upon Death of Prize Winner), otherwise, payment of
prize payments will be made to the estate of a deceased prize winner in
accordance with Texas Government Code §
466.406.
(8) Prize Payments. All prizes shall be paid
through the Selling Lottery that sold the winning Play(s). All low-tier cash
prizes (all prizes except the Grand Prize) shall be paid in cash or warrants in
accordance with Texas statutes and these rules. A Selling Lottery may begin
paying low-tier cash prizes after receiving authorization to pay from the MUSL
central office.
(9) Prizes Rounded.
Annuitized payments of the Grand Prize or a share of the Grand Prize may be
rounded to facilitate the purchase of an appropriate funding mechanism.
Breakage on an annuitized Grand Prize win shall be added to the first payment
to the winner or winners. Prizes other than the Grand Prize, which, under this
section, may become single-payment, pari-mutuel prizes, may be rounded down so
that prizes can be paid in multiples of whole dollars. Breakage resulting from
rounding these prizes shall be carried forward to the prize pool for the next
Drawing.
(10) Limited to Highest
Prize Won. The holder of a winning MM Play may win only one (1) prize per Play
in connection with the Winning Numbers drawn, and shall be entitled only to the
prize won by those numbers in the highest matching prize category. A JJ Play is
not eligible to win non-Grand Prize category prizes. All liabilities for a Mega
Millions prize are discharged upon payment of a prize claim.
(11) Claim Period. Prizes must be claimed no
later than 180 days after the draw date, or in accordance with Texas Government
Code §
466.408(e).
(g) Ticket Validation.
(1) To be a valid Play and eligible to
receive a prize, a Play's ticket shall satisfy all the requirements established
by the commission for validation of winning Plays sold through the computer
gaming system, as well as any other validation requirements adopted by the
Product Group, the MUSL Board and published as the Confidential MUSL Minimum
Game Security Standards. The MUSL and the Party Lotteries shall not be
responsible for Plays or tickets that are altered in any manner.
(2) Under no circumstances will a claim for
any prize be paid without an official Mega Millions ticket issued as authorized
by the commission and matching all game Play, serial number and other
validation data residing in the commission's computer gaming system and such
ticket shall be the only valid proof of the wager placed and the only valid
receipt for claiming or redeeming such prize.
(3) In addition to the above, in order to be
deemed a valid, winning Mega Millions Play, all of the following conditions
must be met:
(A) The validation data must be
present in its entirety and must correspond, using the computer validation
file, to the number selections printed on the ticket for the applicable drawing
date(s);
(B) The ticket must be
intact;
(C) The ticket must not be
mutilated, altered, reconstituted, or tampered with in any manner;
(D) The ticket must not be counterfeit or an
exact duplicate of another winning ticket;
(E) The ticket must have been issued by an
authorized sales agent on official Texas Lottery paper stock or, for
third-party point-of-sale systems approved by the commission, printed on paper
stock or otherwise issued in a manner approved by the commission to provide
tangible evidence of participation in a lottery game;
(F) The ticket must not have been stolen, to
the knowledge of the commission;
(G) The ticket must be submitted for payment
in accordance with the prize claim procedures of the commission as set out in
§
401.304 of this subchapter and any
internal procedures used by the commission;
(H) The Play data on the ticket must have
been recorded on the computer gaming system prior to the drawing and the Play
data must match this computer record in every respect. In the event of a
contradiction between information as printed on the ticket and as accepted by
the commission's computer gaming system, the wager accepted by the commission's
computer gaming system shall be the valid wager;
(I) The player or Quick Pick number
selections, validation data and the drawing date(s) of an apparent winning Play
must appear in the official file of winning Plays, and a Play with that exact
data must not have been previously paid;
(J) The Play must not be misregistered, and
the Play's ticket must not be defectively printed or printed or produced in
error to an extent that it cannot be processed by the commission;
(K) The ticket must pass confidential
validation tests in accordance with the MUSL MM Rules. In addition, the ticket
must pass all other confidential security checks of the commission;
(L) In submitting a ticket for validation,
the claimant agrees to abide by applicable laws, all rules and regulations,
instructions, conditions and final decisions of the executive director of the
commission;
(M) There must not be
any other breach of the MUSL MM Rules, or this subchapter, in relation to the
Play, which, in the sole and final opinion of the executive director of the
commission, justifies invalidation; and
(N) The Ticket must be submitted to the
commission, or the Selling Lottery that issued it.
(4) A Play submitted for validation that
fails any of the preceding validation conditions shall be considered void,
subject to the following determinations:
(A)
In all cases of doubt, the determination of the commission shall be final and
binding; however, the commission may, at its option, replace an invalid Play
with a Mega Millions Play of equivalent sales price;
(B) In the event a defective ticket is
purchased or in the event the commission determines to adjust an error, the
claimant's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the replacement of such defective
or erroneous ticket(s) with a Mega Millions Play of equivalent sales price;
and
(C) In the event a Mega
Millions Play is not paid by the commission and a dispute occurs as to whether
the Play is a winning Play, the commission may, at its option, replace the Play
as provided in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph. This shall be the sole and
exclusive remedy of the claimant.
(h) Ticket Responsibility.
(1) Prize Claims. Prize claim procedures
shall be governed by the rules of the commission. The MUSL and the Selling
Lotteries shall not be responsible for prizes that are not claimed following
the proper procedures as determined by the commission.
(2) Stolen Plays. The Product Group, the
MUSL, the Party Lotteries and the commission shall not be responsible for lost
or stolen Plays.
(3) The Party
Lotteries shall not be responsible to a prize claimant for Mega Millions Plays
redeemed in error by a Texas Lottery sales agent.
(4) Winning Plays are determined by the
numbers drawn and certified by the independent auditor responsible for auditing
the Mega Millions draw. MUSL, the Party Lotteries and the commission are not
responsible for Mega Millions winning numbers reported in error.
(i) Ineligible Players.
(1) A Play, or share of a Play, for a MUSL
game issued by the MUSL or any of its Party Lotteries shall not be purchased
by, and a prize won by any such Play, or share of a Play, shall not be paid to:
(A) a MUSL employee, officer, or
director;
(B) a contractor or
consultant under agreement with the MUSL to review the MUSL audit and security
procedures;
(C) an employee of an
independent accounting firm under contract with MUSL to observe drawings or
site operations and actually assigned to the MUSL account and all partners,
shareholders, or owners in the local office of the firm; or
(D) an immediate family member (parent,
stepparent, child, stepchild, spouse, or sibling) of an individual described in
subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section and residing in the same
household.
(2) Those
persons designated by the State Lottery Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter
466, as ineligible to play its games shall also be ineligible to play any MUSL
lottery game sold in the state of Texas.
(3) A Play, or share of a Play, of the Mega
Millions game may not be purchased in any lottery jurisdiction by any Party
Lottery board member; commissioner; officer; employee; or spouse, child
brother, sister or parent residing as a member of the same household in the
principle place of residence of any such person. Prizes shall not be paid to
any persons prohibited from playing Mega Millions in a particular jurisdiction
by rules, governing law, or any contract executed by the Selling
Lottery.
(j) Applicable Law.
(1) In purchasing a Play, or attempting
to claim a prize, purchasers and prize claimants agree to comply with and abide
by all applicable laws, rules, regulations, procedures, and decisions of the
commission and by directives and determinations of the commission's executive
director. Additionally, the player shall be bound to all applicable provisions
in the MUSL MM Rules.
(2) A prize
claimant agrees, as its sole and exclusive remedy, that claims arising out of a
Play can only be pursued against the Party Lottery which issued the Play.
Litigation, if any, shall only be maintained within the jurisdiction in which
the Play was purchased and only against the Party Lottery that issued the Play.
No claim shall be made against any other Party Lottery or against the
MUSL.
(3) Nothing in this section
or the MUSL MM Rules shall be construed as a waiver of any defense or claim the
commission, which issued the Play, any other Party Lottery, or MUSL may have in
any litigation, including in the event a player or prize claimant pursues
litigation against a Party Lottery or MUSL, or their respective officers,
directors or employees.
(4) All
decisions made by the commission, including the declaration of prizes and the
payment thereof and the interpretation of MUSL MM Rules, shall be final and
binding on all Play purchasers and on every person making a prize claim in
respect thereof, but only in the jurisdiction where the Play was
issued.
(5) Unless the laws, rules,
regulations, procedures, and decisions of the commission, which issued the
Play, provide otherwise, no prize shall be paid upon a Play purchased, claimed
or sold in violation of this section, the MUSL MM Rules, or the laws, rules,
regulations, procedures, and decisions of the commission; any such prize
claimed but unpaid shall constitute an unclaimed prize under this section and
the laws, rules, regulations, procedures, and decisions of the
commission.
(k) Mega Millions Megaplier Promotion.
(1) Promotion
Description. The Mega Millions Megaplier Promotion is a limited extension of
the Mega Millions game and is conducted in accordance with the MUSL MM Rules
and other lottery rules applicable to the Mega Millions game except as may be
amended herein. The Promotion will begin at a time announced by the commission
and will continue until discontinued by the commission. The Promotion will
offer to the owners of a qualifying Megaplier Play a chance to multiply or
increase the amount of any of the Set Prizes (the prizes normally paying two
dollars ($2.00) to one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) won in a Drawing held
during the Promotion. The Grand Prize is not a Set Prize and will not be
multiplied or increased by means of the Megaplier Promotion or the Just the
Jackpot Promotion.
(2) Qualifying
Megaplier Play. A qualifying Megaplier Play is any single Mega Millions Play
for which the player pays an extra one dollar ($1.00) for the Megaplier option
and that is recorded at on the commission's computer gaming system as a
qualifying Megaplier Play. Just the Jackpot Plays do not qualify to purchase a
Megaplier Play.
(3) Prizes To Be
Multiplied Or Increased. A qualifying Megaplier Play that wins one of the Set
Prizes will be multiplied by the number selected, either two, three, four, or
five (2, 3, 4, or 5), in a separate random Megaplier Drawing announced in a
manner approved by the Product Group.
(4) Megaplier Draws. MUSL will either itself
conduct, or authorize a U.S. Lottery to conduct on its behalf, a separate
random "Megaplier" Drawing. Before each Mega Millions Drawing a single number
(2, 3, 4 or 5) shall be drawn. The Product Group may change one or more of the
multiplier features for special promotions from time to time. In the event the
Megaplier Drawing does not occur prior to the Mega Millions Drawing, the
multiplier number will be a 5 (five), which shall solely be determined by the
lottery authorized to conduct the "Megaplier" Drawing.
(5) Megaplier Prize Pool.
(A) The Megaplier Prize Pool (MPP) is hereby
created, and shall be used to fund Megaplier prizes. The MPP shall hold the
temporary balances that may result from having fewer than expected winning
Megaplier Plays. The source of the MPP is the Party Lottery's weekly prize
contributions less actual Megaplier Prize liability.
(B) Up to fifty-five percent (55%) of each
Drawing period's sales, as determined by the Product Group, including any
specific statutorily-mandated tax of a Party Lottery to be included in the
price of a lottery ticket, shall be collected for the payment of Megaplier
prizes.
(C) Prize payout
percentages per draw may vary. The MPP shall be carried forward to subsequent
draws if all or a portion of it is not needed to pay the Megaplier prizes
awarded in the current draw and held in the MPP.
(6) End of Game. Any amount remaining in the
MPP when the Product Group declares the end of this game shall be returned to
the lotteries participating in the account after the end of all claim periods
of all Selling Lotteries, carried forward to a replacement game or otherwise
expended in a manner at the election of the individual Members of the Product
Group in accordance with jurisdiction law.
(7) Expected Prize Payout. Except as provided
in this section, all prizes awarded shall be paid as single payment Set Prizes.
Instead of the Mega Millions Set Prize amounts, qualifying Megaplier Plays will
pay the amounts shown below when matched with the Megaplier number drawn. In
certain rare instances, the Mega Millions Set Prize amount may be less than the
amount shown. In such case, the Megaplier prizes will be a multiple of the
changed Mega Millions prize amount announced after the draw. For example, if
the Match 4+1 Mega Millions set prize amount of ten thousand dollars
($10,000.00) becomes two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) under the rules of the
Mega Millions game, then a Megaplier player winning that prize amount with a 4X
multiplier would win eight thousand dollars ($8,000): two thousand dollars
multiplied by four ($2,000.00 x 4).
(8)
Probability of Winning. The following table sets forth the probability of the
various Megaplier numbers being drawn during a single Mega Millions Drawing.
The Product Group may elect to run limited promotions that may modify the
multiplier features.
(9)
Limitation on Payment of Megaplier Prizes.
(A)
Prize Pool Carried Forward. The prize pool percentage allocated to the
Megaplier Set Prizes shall be carried forward to subsequent draws if all or a
portion of it is not needed to pay the Set Prizes awarded in the current draw
or may be held in a prize reserve account.
(B) Pari-Mutuel Prizes--All Prize Amounts.
Except as otherwise provided for in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph below:
(i) If the total of the original Mega
Millions Set Prizes and the Megaplier prize amounts awarded in a drawing
exceeds the percentage of the prize pools allocated to the set prizes, then the
amount needed to fund the Set Prizes (including the Megaplier prize amounts)
awarded shall be drawn from the following sources, in the following order:
(I) the amount available in the SPP and the
MPP, if any;
(II) an amount from
the PRA, if available in the account, not to exceed forty million dollars
($40,000,000.00) per drawing.
(ii) If, after these sources are depleted,
there are not sufficient funds to pay the Set Prizes awarded (including
Megaplier prize amounts), then the highest Set Prize (including the Megaplier
prize amounts) shall become a pari-mutuel prize. If the amount of the highest
Set Prize, when paid on a pari-mutuel basis, drops to or below the next highest
Set Prize and there are still not sufficient funds to pay the remaining Set
Prizes awarded, then the next highest Set Prize (including the Megaplier prize
amount) shall become a pari-mutuel prize.
This procedure shall continue down through all Set Prizes levels, if necessary, until all Set Prize levels become pari-mutuel prize levels. In that instance, the money available from the funding sources listed in this section shall be divided among the winning MM Plays in proportion to their respective prize percentages. Mega Millions and Megaplier prizes will be reduced by the same percentage.
(C) By agreement with the Mega Millions
Lotteries, the Mega Millions Lotteries shall independently calculate their set
pari-mutuel prize amounts, including the Megaplier prize amounts. The Party
Lotteries and the Mega Millions Lotteries shall then agree to set the
pari-mutuel prize amounts for all lotteries selling the game at the lesser of
the independently-calculated prize amounts.
(10) Prize Payment. All Megaplier prizes
shall be paid in one single payment through the Party Lottery that sold the
winning Megaplier Play(s). A Party Lottery may begin paying Megaplier prizes
after receiving authorization to pay from the MUSL central office. Prizes that,
under this section, may become pari-mutuel prizes, may be rounded down so that
prizes can be paid in whole dollars. Breakage resulting from rounding these
prizes shall be carried forward to the MPP for the next drawing.
(l) Just the Jackpot Promotion.
(1) Promotion Description. The
Mega Millions Just the Jackpot Promotion is a limited extension of the Mega
Millions game and is conducted in accordance with the MUSL MM Rules and other
lottery rules applicable to the Mega Millions game except as may be amended
herein, and any other lottery rules applicable to this Promotion. All rules
applicable to the Mega Millions game in subsections (a) through (j) of this
section are applicable to the Just the Jackpot Promotion unless otherwise
indicated. The Promotion will begin at a time announced by the commission and
will continue until discontinued by the commission. The Promotion will offer to
players a chance to purchase a Just the Jackpot Play ("JJ Play") which will
qualify a player for two (2) chances (each a "Play") to win the Grand Prize,
and no other prize levels. If the player matches any non-Grand Prize (any prize
level other than the Grand Prize) numbers with his or her JJ Play(s), the
player who purchased the JJ Play is not eligible to win or claim the non-Grand
Prizes in the Just the Jackpot Promotion.
(2) Winning JJ Plays will be paid the Mega
Millions Grand Prize, at the election of the player made in accordance with
subsection (f) of this section or by a default election made in accordance with
this section, either on a graduated annuitized annual pari-mutuel basis or as a
cash value option using a rate determined in accordance with subsection (f)(4)
of this section. All provisions in subsections (a) through (j) of this section
regarding payment of the Mega Millions Grand Prize are applicable to winning JJ
Play(s). The Grand Prize amount shall be divided equally by the number of MM
Plays and JJ Plays winning the Grand Prize.
(3) Just the Jackpot shall use the Mega
Millions winning numbers. Mega Millions winning numbers applicable to determine
Just the Jackpot prizes will be determined on the day(s), time(s) and
location(s) as determined by the Mega Millions Lotteries.
(4) To play Just the Jackpot, a player shall
select (or request a Quick Pick) two (2) sets of five (5) different numbers,
from one (1) through seventy (70) and one (1) additional number from one (1)
through twenty-five (25). The additional number may be the same as one of the
first five numbers selected by the player. Each set of numbers shall constitute
a single "Play" as that term is defined in subsection (b)(11) of this section.
The two (2) Plays for each three dollar ($3.00) JJ Plays purchase shall be for
the same drawing, although the commission may sell multi-draw JJ Plays as
well.
(5) The purchase price of a
single JJ Play shall be three dollars (US $3.00) for two (2) Plays, including
any specific statutorily-mandated tax of a Party Lottery to be included in the
price of a lottery JJ Play. JJ Plays must be printed on separate tickets from
MM Plays and must clearly indicate the Plays are for the Just the Jackpot
Promotion. Each JJ Play is played separately in determining matches to winning
numbers and prize amounts. JJ Plays may be purchased from any authorized Texas
Lottery sales agent in a manner as approved by the commission and in accordance
with this section and the MUSL rules. The winning numbers for the JJ Plays will
be the winning numbers drawn in the applicable Mega Millions Drawing. The Grand
Prize will not be multiplied or increased by means of the Megaplier
Promotion.
(6) Just the Jackpot
Prize Pool Contributions.
(A) Mega Millions
Prize Pool. The prize pool for JJ Plays shall consist of up to fifty-five
percent (55%) of each Drawing period's sales, inclusive of any specific
statutorily-mandated tax of a Party Lottery to be included in the price of a
lottery's JJ Play, and inclusive of contributions to the prize pool accounts
and prize reserve accounts, but may be higher or lower based the funding
required to meet a guaranteed Annuity Grand Prize as may be required by the
MUSL MM Rules.
(B) Mega Millions
Prize Pool Account and Prize Reserve Account contributions. The Product Group
shall set the contribution rates to the Just the Jackpot prize pool and prize
reserve accounts established by this section.
(i) The contribution rate for JJ Plays to the
GPP shall be 50.2012% of sales. An amount up to five percent (5%) of a Party
Lottery's JJ Play sales, including any specific statutorily mandated tax of a
Party Lottery to be included in the price of a lottery's JJ Play, shall be
added to a Party Lottery's Just the Jackpot Prize Pool contribution and placed
in trust in one or more prize pool and prize reserve accounts held by the
Product Group at any time that the Party Lottery's share of the PRA is below
the amounts designated by the Product Group. Details shall be noted in the
Comments to the MUSL MM Rule JJ5.2.
(ii) All provisions regarding the Grand Prize
Pool and Prize Reserve Account as described herein are applicable to JJ Play
contributions to the Grand Prize Pool and Prize Reserve Account.
(7) Expected Prize
Payout Percentage. The Mega Millions Grand Prize payout shall be determined on
a pari-mutuel basis. The Grand Prize amount shall be divided equally by the
number of MM Plays and JJ Plays winning the Mega Millions Grand Prize. All
prize payouts are made with the following expected prize payout percentages,
which does not include any additional amount held in prize reserves:
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Texas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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