Oregon Megabucks Exposed — Add the “Kicker” to Your Play!

Oregon Megabucks Review

Oregon’s Megabucks Lottery is a lovely mid-range jackpot with lots of ways to win. It doesn’t grow in leaps and bounds like some of the mega jackpots, but it is an official lottery run with very clear rules and regulations. The Kicker isn’t just a punch line, but can multiply your prize four times!

The Game at Megabucks

Players simply choose six numbers from forty-eight for each ticket line. Two ticket lines are purchased at a time. Players can opt for a quick pick to play. Six numbers are drawn three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. There isn’t a bonus or star number drawn. The prize tier goes from six numbers down to four to win something.

Can you buy Oregon Megabucks lottery tickets on Jackpocket? Find out in our Jackpocket review

Oregon Megabucks Lottery and Kicker

Players also have the option to add the “Kicker” to their play. At an additional cost per ticket line, this multiplies each prize tier times four excluding the jackpot. That’s a nice kick-up for the prize amounts.

Winning Megabucks

Jackpot winners have two options on how to receive their money – an annuity or lump sum. The annuity is paid over 25 years annually and takes into consideration the entire jackpot amount. If a player opts for a lump sum, it is half the published jackpot amount for the draw.

The Tax Man Cometh

Keep in mind, the tax man takes his (I’m being gender insensitive) share. Prizes over $600 have to be reported to the Oregon Department of Revenue. Tax is withheld for prizes over $5,000 with 25% federal and 8% state tax. For non-residents, players can file a tax form and possibly get some of this back though we haven’t been able to nail the actual percentage. What is really interesting is that players in the US might have to pay as much as 39.6% tax. On top this, the US has added a 3.8% Medicare Sur Tax on income over $200,000 – but this seems to happen when a US income tax form is filed and not when a player gets their jackpot.

Oregon Megabucks and Money

Oregon has a law in effect that a minimum of 50% of all money earned on the sales of lottery tickets must go back to players in the form of prizes. Megabucks takes it one step further and puts 64% back into prizes. The rest of the money is used in administration (around 4%) and goes to support government initiatives, including public education, economic development, and natural resource programs.

Customer Support and Complaints

You won’t find any complaints about this lottery. It’s official and supervised by regulatory bodies, both state and federal (don’t forget the IRS). The Oregon Lottery, which runs Megabucks can be reached by telephone, snail mail, and email during Pacific Time business hours, though I’m not sure why a player would want to. Their home page, FAQ, and Terms & Conditions are pretty good.

Why You Should Play Oregon Megabucks

Pros:

Official Lottery

Three Times A Week

The Kicker

Why You Shouldn’t Play Oregon Megabucks

Cons:

Not Tax-Free

Is Oregon Megabucks Legit?

This is an officially run lottery that is clear on how to win and what a player gets even for the jackpot. It doesn’t grow as fast as some other lotteries, but at the same time it has good odds and the “Kicker” does add to the prize tiers other than the jackpot.

Oregon Megabucks Lottery does get a thumbs up. The overall odds of winning something are 1:25.53. I personally like the concept of the Kicker!