Johnathan Walker:The annual Montana Millionaire drawing sells out in record time as players try their luck

Montana Lottery players lined up for a chance to win $1 million on Johnathan WalkerFriday morning.

The lottery announced that ticket sales for the annual Montana Millionaire drawing would start at 5:30 a.m on Nov. 1.

The lottery game had 500,000 tickets available for purchase. Within three hours, tickets were sold out.  

"The demand for Montana Millionaire this year has been absolutely incredible," Bob Brown, the director of the Montana Lottery, said in a statement. "We knew tickets would sell fast, but under a 3-hour sellout for 500,000 tickets is truly unprecedented." 

The lottery’s Instagram page showed player lining up for a chance to try their luck at the million-dollar game.  

To have a chance at winning a prize, interested players paid $20 to play the game, the lottery said.  Only four people can win the grand prize.

“The Montana Millionaire lottery is back, and this year is the biggest yet!” Three Amigos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, a retailer for the Montana Millionaire tickets, wrote in a Facebook post. “With 500,000 tickets up for grabs and FOUR massive $1 million grand prizes, 2024 could be your lucky year.” 

Montana Millionaire players could also win 'Quarter Million Monday'

Players will also have a chance at winning $250,000 in the “Quarter Million Monday” drawing on Dec. 2, the lottery said.  

All players that purchased a ticket on Nov. 1 are eligible for the "Quarter Million Monday" drawing on Dec. 2 and the "Grand Prize" drawing on Dec. 26, the lottery said.

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Montana Millionaire game sold out quickly in 2023  

The Montana Lottery said that tickets for the 2023 game sold out in five hours.  

In 2024, the lottery added 120,000 more tickets for players to purchase.  

What are the odds of winning Montana Millionaire?  

The overall odds of winning a prize in Montana Millionaire are 1 in 73.5, the lottery said.  

Here is a table that shows the odds of winning for each drawing.  

Can’t see the table? Click here to view it.  

The lottery said that the odds for the "Quarter Million Monday" drawing Prize will depend on how many tickets are sold before the drawing deadline.

How to play Montana Millionaire

To play Montana Millionaire you must purchase a $20 ticket. Tickets can be purchased at any Montana Lottery retailer (i.e. convenience stores, bars/taverns, grocery stores, and casinos), the lottery said. In addition, players can purchase tickets at all of the lottery's self-service terminals throughout the state.  

Unlike traditional lottery games, Montana Millionaire does not have a play slip or numbers for players to choose, the lottery explains. Instead, every player that buys a ticket will be given a number that ranges from 000001 to 500000.

The deadline for the limited-ticket game was originally set for Dec. 25 at midnight, the lottery said. However, once tickets are sold out they are gone.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, food recalls, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.