AUGUSTA — Maine will become the 40th state to join the Mega Millions lottery game tonight with a drawing scheduled to be held at 11 p.m.

Michael Boardman, spokesman for the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, said tonight’s jackpot is $19 million. Mega Millions always maintains a minimum jackpot of $12 million.

Players select five numbers between one and 56, and a sixth number between one and 46. If a player matches all six numbers they win the jackpot, but they can win a second-tier prize of $250,000 by matching five numbers.

Boardman said Maine decided to join the new game because all the other New England States were participants and, “We’ve had a lot of interest from players who have seen the game.”

Mega Millions’ drawings will be held every Tuesday and Friday evenings.

The game was established in 1996 by Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia.