This Tri-State Lotto Commission jackpot game has been a favorite of lottery players in Maine since the game began in 1985. The game was changed in 2009 to provide better overall odds of winning, the second prize went from $10,000 to $30,000 and the starting jackpot was set at $1,000.000.

Always remember, Keep it Fun. Play Responsibly.

The world’s first wide area progressive jackpot system, Megabucks has been awarding life-changing jackpots to lucky winners since 1986. Win big with this jackpot - it resets to $10 million! Recent Megabucks Winning Numbers. 28 October 2020. 02 09 16 27 30 Megaball 05. 24 October 2020. 02 06 11 23 37 Megaball 06. 21 October 2020.

Need to check your numbers on your Tri-State Megabucks Plus ticket?

Below are the winning Megabucks Plus numbers. Remember all Megabucks Plus tickets expire one (1) year after the draw date.

Date12345Megaball
02/20/202122242832353
02/17/202145817381
02/13/202115223235365
02/10/20213212332391
02/06/202119293134363
02/03/202114212527354
01/30/202114262730326
01/27/202114182732353
01/23/20212202126402
01/20/20215141833406
01/16/202116182028296
01/13/202121223638411
01/09/20218212628393
01/06/20217152835384
01/02/202125293031404
12/30/202057819234
12/26/202011131630371
12/23/2020481621292
12/19/2020192330354
12/16/2020592033404
12/12/20209232534406
12/09/20201121820305
12/05/20207182124356
12/02/2020571028332
11/28/20204111420313
11/25/2020162733372
11/21/202016273538405
11/18/202016172028325
11/14/20208132132341
11/11/202025826363
11/07/20203131722231
11/04/20203132227353
10/31/202016172529391
10/28/2020291627305
10/24/2020261123376
10/21/20204162636403
10/17/20207132026333
10/14/202012171921396
10/10/20201132332342
10/07/20206162539415
10/03/20202101428353
09/30/202015202531351
09/26/20208131831382
09/23/20202212528373
09/19/20203102133416
09/16/202016202729353
09/12/202011192132341
09/09/20204172335416
09/05/202013718394
09/02/20203151621332
08/29/202012192229341
08/26/20209111831322
08/22/20209102629342
08/19/2020342533381
08/15/202015222429376
08/12/20202141621355
08/08/2020242931384
08/05/20208152832333
08/01/202024253335413
07/29/2020141011295
07/25/20201111318211
07/22/20207122022362
07/18/202013152328416
07/15/2020571930394
07/11/20205162829315
07/08/2020382528363
07/04/202011202224254
07/01/2020121724326
06/27/202057814194
06/24/20201101529364
06/20/2020591822363
06/17/202038922355
06/13/20208202832391
06/10/20201121318381
06/06/20204213437382
06/03/20204111332343
05/30/20209213040414
05/27/20203172335412
05/23/20208122527304
05/20/20202101335412
05/16/202014222430394
05/13/20208182324385
05/09/20201349242
05/06/20207131424324
05/02/20201131528336
04/29/20203122234366
04/25/20201171826383
04/22/20207172024264
04/18/202025313233353
04/15/202013728384
04/11/20202101130334
04/08/202013313338401
04/04/20201111622305
04/01/20209212533383
03/28/202056830313
03/25/20207131431396
03/21/20208132629412
03/18/202017313337392
03/14/202016192127364
03/11/202011122126383
03/07/2020191435402
03/04/202012222425273
02/29/20206212432356
02/26/202019273839411
02/22/202010162122342

Disclaimer:

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. All information is entered manually and is subject to error. The Maine State Lottery makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information but is not responsible for any errors contained on this page. In case of a discrepancy between the winning numbers listed on this page and the official winning numbers, the official results shall prevail. A winning ticket must be validated on the Maine State Lottery's gaming system for final winner verification. Complete Megabucks Plus game information and prize claiming instructions are available from any Maine Lottery retail agent or by email at MaineLottery@Maine.gov.


The motto for most gamblers who come to Las Vegas on a lark is rather simple – go big or go home.

If you’re going to wager real American dollars on games of chance and skill, there’s no reason to take the conservative route. Bankroll management notwithstanding, the goal for any gambler in Sin City is to hit it big, win the jackpot, and walk away with more money than you know what to do with.

Of course, the vast majority of us who take these shots don’t mint themselves instant millionaires. Instead, the house’s inexorable edge and every gambling game’s inherent odds against the player combine to pour our money straight into the casino’s coffers.

For this reason, what happened at the Excalibur casino on March 21st of 2003 when a random tourist from Los Angeles decided to hit the slots has become the stuff of Las Vegas legend.

On that day, an anonymous 25-year old gambler arrived in town to visit his family. With the annual “March Madness” college basketball tournament in full swing, the player figured they might as well get some action down on Duke, Arizona, and the rest of the sport’s heavyweights.

The young man’s uncle heard about the trip to Excalibur Hotel & Casino and offered his nephew a little sage advice from a Las Vegas local – play the Megabucks slot machine and see what happens.

At the time, Megabucks – which boasts the largest wide area progressive jackpot network in the world – had gone nearly a year without paying out.

And with a $10 million starting seed* – not to mention millions of tourists plunking down the requisite $3 per spin to give themselves a chance – the Megabucks jackpot had swelled to an astounding $39.7 million.

*Megabucks initially offered a $1 million starting seed, before increasing to $7 million in 1997, and $10 million in 2005

Thus, the visitor from L.A. found a Megabucks machine and took a seat with $100 in hand.

What happened next made history…

How Does the Megabucks Slot Machine Work?

First things first though… in case you’re unfamiliar with the Megabucks slot, here’s a quick crash course on the greatest progressive jackpot game of them all.

Casino game manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT) introduced its Megabucks slot way back in 1986. At the time, slot machine jackpots were static in nature, meaning each individual machine offered its own kitty based on how many coins had been previously deposited in between major payouts.

IGT had a revolutionary idea, however, so the company linked its various Megabucks machines all over the Silver State together. In other words, whenever a player in Reno, Mesquite, or anywhere in Nevada for that matter played one Megabucks machine, their coins contributed to the same jackpot total.

Cached

This wide area progressive jackpot concept proved to be an immediate hit with players, who loved to watch the meter continuously climb into the seven-figures.

And those meters did climb on a daily basis too, thanks to the Megabucks game’s enormous odds against on the topline jackpot.

Megabucks is a deceptively simple game, one which eschews the multiple paylines and expanded reels that make up the bulk of a casino’s slot inventory nowadays. For a maximum bet of $3, players send three reels spinning, each featuring traditional symbols like 7s, cherries, and BARs. To form winning combinations, players hope to hit three matching symbols along a single payline.

Yep, no bonus games or free spins, no scatter symbols or wilds, and no video clips or sound effects. Just straight up slot spinning gameplay as gamblers have known it for more than a century and counting.

The game’s jackpot symbol is a golden “Megabucks Eagle” which depicts the slot’s distinctive logo. The only thing is, landing even one of these crucial symbols along the payline requires the player to beat odds of 1 in 368. Knowing this, the odds against spiking all three at once come to an astronomical 1 in 49,836,032 – or (1/368)3.

For this reason, the Megabucks progressive jackpot often goes unclaimed for extended stretches, many of which lasting more than a year. With so much time in between big winners, and so many players statewide tossing $3 per spin into the kitty, Megabucks jackpots soon became notorious for reaching epic proportions.

Before that fateful day in 2003, Megabucks players enjoyed an incredible run which saw the jackpot rise to a then record $27.5 million in 1998. That life-changing sum was won by a lucky slot spinner at Palace Station in November of 1998, but the record was eventually broken with a $34.9 million payout awarded to a cocktail waitress playing at the Desert Inn in January of 2000.

A little more than three years later, a new record was waiting to be set at the Excalibur.

$100 Flier Turns Into Life-Changing Record Jackpot Win

Starting out with only $100, the player from L.A. had just 33 spins to work with given the $3* price of play.

*Megabucks can be played for $1 or $2 spins, but the progressive jackpot is only awarded to players who opt for the max-bet of $3

Even so, as a press release issued by IGT later revealed, the player with a birthdate featuring three 7s seemed to have Lady Luck on his arm from the very start. Within the span of those 33 spins, the man watched as not one, not two, but three of the “Megabucks Eagle” symbols slowly spun and came to a rest alongside one another.

Just like that, the player had beaten odds of nearly 1 in 50 million to put nearly $40 million in his pocket.

Well, not all at once anyway. The winner elected to take $1.5 million installments over the course of 26 years – which means he’s still receiving seven-figure payouts annually to this day. In fact, the winner has another 10 years and $15 million remaining on his record-setting payment plan.

Although he chose to remain anonymous, the winner provided the following statement to IGT:

Megabucks New Hampshire Lottery

“I’m still stunned; it doesn’t seem real yet. But both of my parents are still working, so some of this money will be used to fund their retirement.”

Largest Megabucks Jackpot Ever – And By a Long Shot

John Sears – who served as vice president of IGT’s MegaJackpots program at the time – confirmed that the $39,713,982.25 payout smashed the previous record for largest slot machine jackpot ever awarded:

“This MegaJackpot is nearly $5 million more than the previous world record slot jackpot amount of $34.9 million – this one goes into The Guinness Book of Records.”

Check out the table below – featuring 10 real megabucks jackpot wins – to get a better sense of just how ridiculous the record-setting jackpot really is:

Past Winning Numbers Wisconsin Lottery

Megabucks Jackpot History (Wins of $10 Million or More)

DATECASINOCITY/STATEJACKPOT AMOUNT
3/21/2003ExcaliburLas Vegas, NV$39,713,982.25
1/26/2000Desert InnLas Vegas, NV$34,955,490.00
4/12/2009Terrible’s Rail City CasinoSparks, NV$33,000,563.00
11/15/1998Palace StationLas Vegas, NV$27,580,878.00
5/27/2002Bally’s Las VegasLas Vegas, NV$22,621,229.00
6/1/1999Caesars PalaceLas Vegas, NV$21,346,937.00
9/15/2005CanneryLas Vegas, NV$21,147,947.00
11/14/2003StardustLas Vegas, NV$19,600,523.30
12/14/2012M ResortLas Vegas, NV$17,329,817.67
11/30/2014Rampart CasinoLas Vegas, NV$14,282,544.21

Competing Jackpot Hunters Lament Loss of Record-Setting Total

Within the slot machine gaming enthusiast community, learning that Megabucks’ massive jackpot had been won proved to be bittersweet indeed.

Mass Lottery Megabucks Winning Numbers

In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun conducted shortly after the news broke, Kim Wong from Kailua, Hawaii told the newspaper how she felt watching the meter reset back to $10 million:

“I was here at lunchtime around 12:30 and it was still around $39.7 million. Then I came back around quarter after one and it was resetting. It was such a drag. It was a little more enticing with the $39 million up there, but I’m still playing.”

Judy Selasky from Lavonia, Michigan provided a similar story, telling the paper that even though a record payout was off the table, she and her husband would still play in hopes of a “lightning strikes twice” type of moment:

“I said, ‘Hurry up and get up to the room, so I can get downstairs. I figure if he won, there might be some magic here. I’m not a hog.”

Conclusion

In a city like Las Vegas which was founded on excess, setting the world record for slot machine jackpot winnings really is something special. And while we don’t know much about the software engineer from L.A. who did the deed, learning that a 25-year old tourist took the honors should give hope to every gambler who makes the sojourn to Sin City.

More than 16 years have passed since the record-setting spin, and nobody has even come close to claiming such an incredible Megabucks jackpot over that span – which shows just how astonishing that memorable moment in March of 2003 really was.