ATLANTA — The Mega Millions lottery game is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary later this summer.
According to the official Mega Millions website, the game began on Aug. 31, 1996, as the Big Game.
The first drawing took place on Sept. 6, 1996. Georgia and five other states -- Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia -- were the original participants.
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FEBRUARY 1998
After growth of the game in 1997, a Tuesday drawing was added.
JANUARY 1999
Players were given a larger choice of numbers and a "cash payout" option.\
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MAY 1999
New Jersey became the seventh member state.
MAY 2002
The multi-state game was given the new name of "Mega Millions.”
New York and Ohio became member states, and the game matrix and prize amounts were changed to offer players more excitement.
SEPTEMBER 2002
Washington became the 10th member state, followed by Texas in December 2003.
JUNE 2005
California became the 12th member, solidifying Mega Millions as the country's most widely played multi-state jackpot game.
JANUARY 31, 2010
23 more state lotteries joined Mega Millions as an historic cross-selling agreement between Mega Millions and Powerball went into effect.
With additional lotteries joining since then, Mega Millions is now played in 45 jurisdictions: 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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MARCH 30, 2012
Mega Millions made history with the world's largest prize in any jackpot game ever: $656 million.
The jackpot was split three ways, by winning tickets in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland.
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The record stood for almost four years until it was eclipsed by a Powerball jackpot in January 2016.
OCTOBER 19, 2013
A matrix change was designed to create bigger jackpots, second-tier prizes of up to $5 million with the Megaplier feature, and better overall odds.
Information in this story came from the official Mega Millions website.
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