PA Residents Can?t Buy Mega Millions Tickets For Tuesday Drawing

PENNSYLVANIA - Keystone State residents looking to buy into Tuesday?s $875 million Mega Millions drawing will have to cross state lines to do so.

That?s because the Pennsylvania Lottery Commission will be upgrading its software and systems at the time, and lottery ticket sales won?t be possible in the interim.

?Most of the upgrades are happening to our systems and portals on March 19th, 2024; and that means lottery sales terminals at Lottery retail locations will be temporarily unavailable during that time,? reads a statement posted to the PA Lottery website. ?Lottery drawings will continue, so please consider buying your favorite lottery tickets in advance.?

The Mega Millions drawing, which has a cash option of $413.5 million, is slated to happen Tuesday at 11 p.m. The $687 million Powerball drawing, which touts a $327.3 million cash option, is set for Wednesday.

PA Lottery winners will also have to wait longer to redeem earnings due to anticipated delays, the PA Lottery alert reads. Retail coupons will not be able to be redeemed between March 15 and 20, either.

Scratch-off tickets will be available for purchase with cash only; winners are encouraged to sign the back of their tickets and redeem after the updates are completed.

While fast play and draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions won?t be available in-store or online for a time on Tuesday, eInstant games will still be available to play, lottery officials said. Those with issues during the system upgrade should email the PA Lottery at RA-RVPALOTTCUSTSERV@pa.gov.

?Our team is very passionate about our mission of responsibly generating funds for our Commonwealth's older residents, and we couldn't do it without players like you,? lottery officials added. ?Thank you for your support, and patience at this time.?