Maryland Lottery – Play Responsibly (2024)

FAQs

How do you play Lottery responsibly? ›

The Maryland Lottery headquarters pays prizes valued up to $25,000, less offsets and obligations, by check on the day of the claim. The Maryland Lottery headquarters does not pay any prizes in cash. For prizes valued at more than $25,000, please allow at least 30 business days for the claim to be processed and paid.

Prize amounts of $600 or less in red can be cashed at any Maryland Lottery retailer. The approximate overall probability of winning Powerball® is 1 in 24.87.

You can e-mail us, call 410-230-8800 or call the Maryland Lottery's TTY number 1-800-735-2258.

To better your chances of winning any lottery, you have to buy more tickets, he said. The more tickets, the more chances of choosing the right combination of numbers.

Lottery winnings are considered taxable income for both federal and state taxes. Federal tax rates vary based on your tax bracket, with rates up to 37%. Winning the lottery can bump you into a higher tax bracket. Lottery winnings don't count as earned income for Social Security benefits.

For prizes of more than $5,000, the Lottery will deduct 24% in federal tax and 8.95% in state tax for Maryland residents (8% state tax for non-residents). You must also still report your winnings as income, according to the MDLottery.com website. Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days.

If you chose to pick up your first Lottery payment from a California Lottery District Office, your first Lottery prize payment will be available for pickup within six to eight weeks of your claim. Future payments can be mailed directly to your home address or to your financial institution for deposit into your account.

Pick 5 offers players two chances to win each day. You could win up to $50,000 playing the base game! Plus, the FIREBALL add-on gives players the chance to create additional number combinations for another chance to win!

What does megaplier 3X mean? ›

Most states offer a Megaplier feature to increase non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times; it costs an additional $1 per play. Before each Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday and Friday nights, the Megaplier is drawn. From a pool of 15 balls, five are marked with 2X, six with 3X, three with 4X and one with 5X.

Anyone who receives winnings from lottery games, racetrack betting or gambling must pay income tax on the prize money. Both residents and nonresidents of Maryland are subject to Maryland income tax on their winnings.

Typically, winning draw game tickets must be cashed within 182 days of the drawing date, winning FAST PLAY tickets must be cashed within 182 days of the sale date, and cash vouchers must be claimed within 182 days of the date they were printed.

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) is an independent agency of the Maryland government. The MLGCA operates the Maryland Lottery and serves as regulator for Maryland's casino and sports wagering programs and a number of ancillary gaming programs.

“The only way to really increase the odds of winning any lottery is to buy more tickets. The more tickets you buy, the more chances you have to win,” Kapoor said. “I've seen it all and those tips are usually technically true but useless, or are just not true,” said Lesser, who maintains a website on lottery literacy.

Aside from purchasing multiple lottery tickets with different number combinations, there is no way to increase your chance of winning the lottery with one ticket, Clotfelter said. However, it can help to let the computer pick your numbers instead of choosing them yourself.