Lottery Ticket Sales Cutoff Times by State
Sales for a drawing stop before the drawing — buy after the cutoff and your ticket plays the next one. Here are the official cutoffs, state by state, straight from each state lottery.
Each state sets its own sales cutoff before the shared Powerball (10:59 p.m. ET) and Mega Millions (11:00 p.m. ET) drawings — among verified states they range from about 15 minutes to roughly 2 hours before the draw, with about 1 hour the most common. Every entry below quotes the state lottery’s own published wording and links the official page — we list only what we could verify; if your state isn’t listed, check your state lottery or ask a retailer. Cutoffs can change; the printed drawing date on your ticket always controls which drawing it plays in.
Powerball sales cutoffs by state
Powerball draws Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
| State | Sales cutoff (official wording) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | Draw entry closes at 7 p.m. Pacific on the day of the draw | calottery.com |
| Colorado | Sales cutoff 7:30 p.m. Mountain on draw nights (Mon/Wed/Sat); tickets sold after go to the next drawing | coloradolottery.com |
| Connecticut | Wagering closes at 10:00 p.m. on drawing nights (reopens 11:15 p.m.) | ctlottery.org |
| Florida | Tickets may be purchased until 10:00 p.m. ET on the night of the drawing | floridalottery.com |
| Georgia | Sales stop at 10:00 p.m. on draw nights | galottery.com |
| Indiana | Tickets must be purchased by 9:58 p.m. ET | hoosierlottery.com |
| Maryland | Sales cutoff 9:59 p.m. on Mon, Wed & Sat | mdlottery.com |
| Minnesota | Sales cutoff 9:00 p.m. Central on draw nights | mnlottery.com |
| North Carolina | Online sales end 9:57 p.m.; retail sales end 9:59 p.m. on draw days | nclottery.com |
| New Jersey | Purchase prior to 9:59 p.m. on Mon, Wed & Sat for that drawing | njlottery.com |
| Ohio | Sales cutoff 10:00 p.m. on draw nights (draw 10:59 p.m.) | ohiolottery.com |
| Pennsylvania | Purchase cutoff 9:59 p.m. on drawing days | palottery.pa.gov |
| South Carolina | Sales are suspended at 9:59 p.m. on Mon, Wed & Sat | sceducationlottery.com |
| Texas | Sales for that night stop at 9:00 p.m. Central (draw break 9:00–10:15 p.m.) | texaslottery.com |
| Virginia | On draw nights, tickets for the upcoming draw are not sold after 10 p.m. | valottery.com |
| Washington | Ticket sales cut off at 6:45 p.m. Pacific on Mon, Wed & Sat (resume 6:46 p.m.) | walottery.com |
| Wisconsin | No sales for that drawing after 8:59:59 p.m. Central; later sales go to the next drawing | wilottery.com |
Mega Millions sales cutoffs by state
Mega Millions draws Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET.
| State | Sales cutoff (official wording) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | Draw entry closes at 7:45 p.m. Pacific on the day of the draw | calottery.com |
| Connecticut | Wagering closes at 10:45 p.m. on drawing nights (reopens 11:15 p.m.) | ctlottery.org |
| Florida | Tickets may be purchased until 10:00 p.m. ET on the night of the drawing | floridalottery.com |
| Georgia | Sales stop at 10:45 p.m. on draw days | galottery.com |
| Maryland | Sales cutoff 10:45 p.m. on Tue & Fri | mdlottery.com |
| Minnesota | Sales cutoff 9:00 p.m. Central on draw nights | mnlottery.com |
| North Carolina | Online sales end 10:43 p.m.; retail sales end 10:45 p.m. on draw days | nclottery.com |
| New Jersey | Purchase prior to 10:45 p.m. on Tue & Fri for that drawing | njlottery.com |
| Ohio | Sales cutoff 10:45 p.m. on draw nights (draw 11:00 p.m.) | ohiolottery.com |
| Pennsylvania | Sales end at 9:59 p.m. on drawing nights | palottery.pa.gov |
| South Carolina | Sales are suspended at 10:00 p.m. on Tue & Fri | sceducationlottery.com |
| Texas | Sales for that night stop at 9:45 p.m. Central (draw break 9:45–10:15 p.m.) | texaslottery.com |
| Washington | Ticket sales cut off at 7:45 p.m. Pacific on Tue & Fri (resume 7:46 p.m.) | walottery.com |
| Wisconsin | No sales for that drawing after 8:59:59 p.m. Central; later sales go to the next drawing | wilottery.com |
State draw-game cutoffs
| Game | Sales cutoff (official wording) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California Fantasy 5 | Draw entry closes at 6:30 p.m. Pacific daily | calottery.com |
| California SuperLotto Plus | Draw entry closes at 7:45 p.m. Pacific on draw days (Wed/Sat) | calottery.com |
| Florida Fantasy 5 | Up to 20 minutes before each drawing: 12:45 p.m. ET midday, 10:55 p.m. ET evening | floridalottery.com |
| Florida Lotto | Tickets can be purchased until 10:55 p.m. ET on the night of the draw | floridalottery.com |
| Georgia Fantasy 5 | Sales stop at 10:45 p.m. every night (drawing ~11:34 p.m. ET) | galottery.com |
| Lotto Texas | Sales for that night stop at 10:02 p.m. Central (draw break 10:02–10:15 p.m.) | texaslottery.com |
| Ohio Classic Lotto | Sales cutoff 7:00 p.m. Mon/Wed/Sat (draw ~7:05 p.m.) | ohiolottery.com |
| Ohio Rolling Cash 5 | Sales cutoff 7:00 p.m. daily (draw ~7:05 p.m.) | ohiolottery.com |
| Cash Five (Texas) | Sales for that night stop at 10:02 p.m. Central (draw break 10:02–10:15 p.m.) | texaslottery.com |
Cite this page
US lottery ticket sales stop between about 15 minutes and 2 hours before the drawing depending on the state, with about 1 hour the most common (WonYet, 2026, from official state-lottery pages).
- APA
WonYet. (2026). Lottery Ticket Sales Cutoff Times by State. https://wonyet.com/lottery-sales-cutoff-times- MLA
WonYet. “Lottery Ticket Sales Cutoff Times by State.” WonYet, 2026, https://wonyet.com/lottery-sales-cutoff-times.
Sales cutoff FAQ
What time do lottery ticket sales close before a drawing?
It depends on your state — each participating lottery sets its own cutoff. Among officially-verified states it ranges from about 15 minutes to roughly 2 hours before the drawing, with about 1 hour the most common. The tables on this page quote each state lottery’s own published cutoff.
Can I still buy a ticket for tonight’s Powerball drawing?
Only until your state’s sales cutoff — Powerball draws at 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and most verified states stop selling for that drawing between roughly 9 and 10 p.m. local time. A ticket bought after the cutoff counts for the NEXT drawing.
What happens if I buy a ticket after the cutoff?
Your ticket is entered in the next drawing, not tonight’s — the drawing date printed on the ticket is the one it plays in. Check that printed date before the drawing so you know which results to compare against.
See tonight’s schedule on the live drawings board, the latest winning numbers, or how long you have to claim on the claim-deadlines table.
Always verify your results through official lottery channels before claiming any prize. WonYet is not affiliated with Powerball, Mega Millions, or any lottery organization. · All lottery names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners.