Next drawings: Powerball on the next Monday, Wednesday or Saturday at 10:59 PM ET; Mega Millions on the next Tuesday or Friday at 11:00 PM ET.
Whether there's a big drawing tonight depends only on the day of the week. Below are the weekly schedule for the national games, the draw time in each US time zone, the sales cut-off, and the daily-game times in some of the largest state lotteries.
Lottery drawing schedule by day of the week
There's a Powerball or Mega Millions drawing five nights a week. Thursday and Sunday have neither, though Millionaire for Life and most state daily games still draw. All times are Eastern.
| Day | Powerball | Mega Millions | Other national draws (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10:59 PM | None | Lotto America 10:15 PM; Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
| Tuesday | None | 11:00 PM | Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
| Wednesday | 10:59 PM | None | Lotto America 10:15 PM; Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
| Thursday | None | None | Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
| Friday | None | 11:00 PM | Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
| Saturday | 10:59 PM | None | Lotto America 10:15 PM; Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
| Sunday | None | None | Millionaire for Life 11:15 PM |
Some regional multi-state games keep their own schedules. 2by2, sold in a few Plains states, draws nightly, and the Tri-State games in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont draw on their own days.
What days is Powerball drawn?
Powerball is drawn three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM Eastern, at the Powerball draw studio in Florida. That's 9:59 PM Central, 8:59 PM Mountain and 7:59 PM Pacific.
Monday drawings began on August 23, 2021. Before that Powerball drew only on Wednesday and Saturday, which is why some older pages still list two days.
The gaps between drawings are uneven. Saturday to Monday and Monday to Wednesday are two days each, while Wednesday to Saturday is three, so the Saturday drawing has the longest selling period.
Powerball draws on its usual nights through holidays. The $1.817 billion jackpot, which Powerball calls the second-largest US lottery jackpot ever won, was hit on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. See are there lottery drawings on holidays for the other games.
In states that offer Double Play, its separate drawing takes place right after the main Powerball drawing on the same nights. For more on draw night itself, see what time the Powerball drawing is.
What time is the Powerball drawing in each time zone?
The drawing is always at 10:59 PM Eastern. Two places shift during the year because they don't use daylight saving time: Arizona and Puerto Rico. Daylight saving time ends on November 1, 2026 and starts again on March 14, 2027.
| Time zone | Daylight time (March to November) | Standard time (November to March) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern (New York, Florida, Georgia) | 10:59 PM | 10:59 PM |
| Central (Texas, Illinois, Missouri) | 9:59 PM | 9:59 PM |
| Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana) | 8:59 PM | 8:59 PM |
| Arizona (no daylight saving) | 7:59 PM | 8:59 PM |
| Pacific (California, Washington, Oregon) | 7:59 PM | 7:59 PM |
| Puerto Rico (no daylight saving) | 10:59 PM | 11:59 PM |
What days is Mega Millions drawn?
Mega Millions is drawn every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM Eastern (10:00 PM Central, 9:00 PM Mountain, 8:00 PM Pacific). According to the Mega Millions FAQ, drawings are held at WSB-TV in Atlanta. In Arizona the drawing falls at 8:00 PM during daylight time and 9:00 PM in winter.
Mega Millions has cost $5 a play since the April 8, 2025 drawing, with a 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X multiplier built into every ticket for non-jackpot prizes. Powerball is $2 a play, plus $1 for Power Play. More detail is in what time is the Mega Millions drawing.
National games: days and times
| Game | Draw days | Eastern | Central | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerball | Mon, Wed, Sat | 10:59 PM | 9:59 PM | 7:59 PM |
| Mega Millions | Tue, Fri | 11:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| Millionaire for Life | Every night | 11:15 PM | 10:15 PM | 8:15 PM |
| Lotto America | Mon, Wed, Sat | 10:15 PM | 9:15 PM | 7:15 PM |
Millionaire for Life costs $5 a play and is sold in 31 lottery jurisdictions. It replaced Lucky for Life and Cash4Life, whose final drawings were on February 21, 2026. If you still hold a ticket for either retired game, the claim deadline is set by the state that sold it.
When do they stop selling tickets?
Each state sets its own sales cut-off, always before the drawing. The Powerball and Mega Millions FAQs both tell players to check with their state lottery. Two examples: the Florida Lottery sells Powerball until 10:00 PM ET on draw nights, and Texas stops Powerball sales from 9:00 PM to 10:15 PM CT, an hour before the drawing until just after it.
A ticket bought after your state's cut-off goes into the next drawing, not tonight's. The ticket shows the draw date, so check it before you leave the counter. State-by-state cut-offs are in what time they stop selling lottery tickets.
What time are state lottery drawings?
State games run on local time. The daily numbers games (Pick 3, Pick 4, Cash 3, Daily 4 and so on) usually draw at midday and in the evening, and some states draw more often. These times come from the game schedules in our results data; the Florida and Texas entries match those lotteries' published schedules.
| State | Daily games | Draw times (local) | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Daily 3, Daily 4 | 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM PT (Daily 4 evening only) | Every day |
| Texas | Pick 3, Daily 4 | 10:00 AM, 12:27 PM, 6:00 PM and 10:12 PM CT | Mon to Sat |
| Florida | Pick 3, Pick 4 | 1:30 PM and 9:45 PM ET | Every day |
| New York | Numbers, Win 4 | 2:30 PM and 10:30 PM ET | Every day |
| Pennsylvania | Pick 3, Pick 4 | 1:35 PM and 6:59 PM ET | Every day |
| Illinois | Pick 3, Pick 4 | 12:40 PM and 9:22 PM CT | Every day |
| Ohio | Pick 3, Pick 4 | 12:29 PM and 7:29 PM ET | Every day |
| Georgia | Cash 3, Cash 4 | 12:29 PM, 6:59 PM and 11:34 PM ET | Every day |
State lotto and Cash 5-style games usually draw once a night, many only on set days. Each game page on this site lists that game's draw days and next draw time in its own time zone; choose your state from the homepage to see them.
Where can you watch the drawings?
The Mega Millions FAQ says the winning numbers and the official drawing video are posted shortly after each drawing on its website, megamillions.com. Florida's Powerball page says the drawing can be watched by livestream. Many local TV stations also carry the drawings. You don't have to watch: the numbers are published soon after, and you usually have 180 days to a year to claim a prize.
How soon are results posted?
Official winning numbers usually appear within minutes of the drawing. Our pages take results from an automated feed that is checked every few minutes, so they normally follow shortly after. See the latest Powerball results and Mega Millions results, or read how to check lottery results.
Drawing times FAQ
What days is Powerball drawn?
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at 10:59 PM Eastern Time. Monday drawings were added on August 23, 2021; before that Powerball drew only on Wednesday and Saturday.
Is there a Powerball drawing on Sunday?
No. Powerball draws only on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and Mega Millions doesn't draw on Sunday either. Millionaire for Life draws every night at 11:15 PM Eastern, including Sunday.
What time is the Powerball drawing?
10:59 PM Eastern Time, which is 9:59 PM Central, 8:59 PM Mountain and 7:59 PM Pacific. The drawing is held at the Powerball draw studio in Florida.
What days and time is Mega Millions drawn?
Every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 PM Eastern Time (10:00 PM Central, 9:00 PM Mountain, 8:00 PM Pacific), at WSB-TV in Atlanta.
What time do they stop selling lottery tickets?
Each state sets its own cut-off before the drawing. Florida sells Powerball until 10:00 PM ET, and Texas pauses Powerball sales from 9:00 PM to 10:15 PM CT. Tickets bought after the cut-off count for the next drawing.
Which days have no Powerball or Mega Millions drawing?
Thursday and Sunday. Every other night has one of the two, and Millionaire for Life and most state daily games draw on Thursdays and Sundays as well.
Sources: Powerball FAQs and Millionaire for Life page (powerball.com); Mega Millions FAQs (megamillions.com); Florida Lottery Powerball and Pick 3 pages; Texas Lottery Powerball and Pick 3 pages; Maine State Lottery Lotto America page. Draw times are set by the lotteries and can change.
