Brazil’s biggest lottery, the Mega Sena, is also South America’s most organized lottery game with organization controlled by the Caixa Economica Federal Bank of the country. The draws are organized two times a week on Wednesday and Saturday.
 
Unlike Europe, numbers are picked up in pairs from two spheres which are spinning slowly. The numbers are picked in pairs to create a 2-digit decimal number from 1 to 60. A total of six pairs are picked. The first sphere includes digits from 0 to 5 while the second includes numbers from 0 to 9. If both zeroes are picked then the number is recorded as 60. The odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 50,063,860.
 
The variation in bet prices depends on the possibility of different groups of six numbers within the numbers picked. This can range from Brazilian dollar 1.75 for six numbers in a single game to Brazilian dollar 8,758.75 for 50 numbers in about 5,500 games.
 
Also, the Mega Sena has a slightly different method of paying out the winning. Its main prizes total to about 46 per cent of the total bets. Of this, 35 per cent goes to those matching all six numbers while 19 per cent goes to those matching five numbers. Another 19 per cent goes to those able to match four numbers. About 22 per cent of the bets are collected for a special draw to be held once in five weeks while a 5 per cent is kept aside for a year-end special draw. Tax is deducted on all winning though winners have 90 days to collect their cash.
 
An interesting part of the Mega Sena is that if winnings are not claimed, the funds are used for educational purposes and the Mega Sena also has a charitable unit for utilizing earnings.
 
Mega Sena can be played from anywhere around the world and several online lottery ticket sellers are vending tickets all the time. Most of these sites help registered users collect their winnings also. The Mega Sena results are widely publicized and easily available in the local media or on the Internet.
 
Since the winning payout goes to low levels so you stand to win even if you match just three numbers. Also Mega Sena is so popular that many sites offer you every tenth try for free from anywhere in the world. All jackpots are also paid out in full in cash though if no one wins the jackpot then it is rolled over to next week. Players also have to be at least 18 years of age before purchasing a ticket.

The official Mega Sena website displays a host of information on where and how to play the lottery. The official site lists dealers, kiosks and other options for buying tickets apart from the winning numbers, advertising campaigns and other sub-category prize options. The site also details how to play the Mega Sena via the cell phone. Such is the popularity of the Mega Sena that it is commonly referred to as a ‘national sport’ in Brazil by the media!