Brazil Lottery

When the draws take place

Mega-Sena is drawn three times a week. Caixa expanded the schedule from two draws to three in 2023 and sets the calendar in advance, so the exact days can shift. On the current official schedule, draws are held on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Results are published the same day on the Loterias Caixa website and app, and the draws are broadcast live.

Once a year, on 31 December, Caixa holds a giant special draw called Mega da Virada, described below.

How the game works

To play Mega-Sena, you choose 6 numbers from 1 to 60. The minimum bet of six numbers costs R$6.00 (about US$1.10). You can pick your own numbers or ask for a Surpresinha, where the system selects them at random. To win the jackpot you must match all six drawn numbers, and there are also prizes for matching five (Quina) or four (Quadra).

You can play more than six numbers to improve your chances, marking up to 20 numbers on a single bet. Every possible combination of six within your selection is entered as a separate game, so the cost rises quickly with each extra number. Other ways to play include:

Teimosinha: enter the same numbers into several consecutive draws in advance.

Bolão: an official syndicate, where a group buys a larger bet and shares any prize in fractions called cotas.

Odds and prizes

Mega-Sena has three prize tiers. The jackpot starts at around R$3 million and rolls over when it is not won, with no maximum limit, which is how it can reach into the hundreds of millions. The Quina and Quadra prizes are parimutuel, meaning they are shared among the winners in each tier and vary from draw to draw.

Draws whose number ends in 0 or 5 are larger than normal, because they collect a portion of the prize money set aside from the four preceding draws. Playing more numbers shortens the odds: a 20-number bet, for example, brings the jackpot odds down to around 1 in 1,292, though it costs far more.

Here are the odds for a minimum six-number bet:

The biggest prizes of all come from Mega da Virada, the special New Year’s Eve draw held every 31 December. A slice of the prize money from regular draws throughout the year is set aside for it, and unlike a normal draw the top prize must be won on the night. If nobody matches all six numbers, the money rolls down to the next tier rather than carrying over.

The record Mega da Virada was the 2024 draw, worth about R$635 million (roughly US$115 million), shared between eight winning tickets. In regular play, one of the largest single-ticket wins was a jackpot of about R$205 million taken by a single player in November 2015. Because Caixa keeps winners confidential, big winners are usually identified only by the city or state where the ticket was sold.

Caixa Econômica Federal has operated Brazil’s federal lotteries since 1961, but Mega-Sena itself launched on 11 March 1996 and quickly became the country’s favourite game thanks to its huge rolling jackpots. Its 6-from-60 format has stayed consistent, while the way results are drawn has been modernised over the years.

The Mega da Virada New Year’s Eve draw was introduced in its current guaranteed-payout form in 2009 and has grown into one of the most anticipated events on the Brazilian calendar. In 2023 the regular Mega-Sena schedule expanded to three draws a week.

You can play Mega-Sena two main ways:

In-store: at any of the thousands of authorised lottery agents (lotéricas) found across Brazil, often inside shops and kiosks. Fill in a playslip (volante) or ask for a Surpresinha.

Online: through the official Loterias Caixa online portal and app, which require a registered account. Online play is intended for people located in Brazil.

You must be 18 or older to play. There is no nationality requirement to win, but tickets have to be bought in Brazil, and online purchases need a Brazilian taxpayer registration (CPF).

How to claim a prize

How you claim depends on the amount:

Smaller prizes: can be collected at any authorised lottery agent (lotérica).
Larger prizes: must be claimed at a Caixa bank branch, with your winning ticket and identification including your CPF. The largest prizes are paid by bank transfer.

You have 90 days from the date of the draw to claim a Mega-Sena prize. After that deadline the money is transferred to the national treasury and directed to FIES, the federal student-financing fund for higher education. Sign and keep your ticket safe, since it is the proof of your win.

Taxes on winnings

Brazil taxes lottery prizes. Mega-Sena winnings above R$1,903.98 are subject to 30% income tax, which is withheld at source before the prize is paid out. This means a winner receives the advertised prize amount minus the tax already deducted, so there is nothing extra to file on the winning itself.

The tax withheld is passed to the federal government. As always, any income you later earn from investing your winnings can be taxable in the normal way, so professional advice is sensible for a large win.

Can you stay anonymous?

Yes. Caixa keeps the identity of lottery winners confidential, and Mega-Sena winners can remain anonymous. The lottery publishes the number of winning tickets and the city or state where they were sold, but not the names of the people who won.

Winners are not required to appear publicly or give interviews. Some choose to share their story, but there is no obligation to do so, and most Brazilian jackpot winners are never publicly named.