The Mega Millions jackpot is expected to rise to $1.55 billion in the next drawing, the highest-ever pot for the lottery, topping its previous record of $1.537 Billion in October 2018.
No jackpot-winning ticket was purchased with Friday night’s numbers, 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and a gold Mega Ball 20, the lottery said.
The cash option for Tuesday’s drawing is estimated to be $757.2 million.
The lottery game’s jackpot had grown ahead of Friday’s drawing to an estimated $1.35 billion. That figure would have been the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever and the fourth-largest in U.S. lotto history when also factoring in Powerball jackpots.
A drawing of $1.55 billion would place the Mega Millions jackpot behind only two other U.S. lottery drawings, a $1.586 billion Powerball in January 2016 and a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot in November 2022.
The jackpot has continued to climb since it was last won on April 18. Friday’s drawing marked the 31st in this current run.
“There’s always an air of excitement around the country when Mega Millions jackpots soar,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement. “The growing jackpot is a source of entertainment and winnings for players while generating important dollars for the good causes supported by each lottery. We are grateful for our players, appreciate our hardworking retailers, and remind everyone to play responsibly.”
Players must match all five numbers plus the Mega Ball number to claim the jackpot. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
The previous four $1 billion Mega Million jackpots were won in 2018, 2021, 2022 and January 2023.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 for one play.
A winning ticket for the $1 billion Powerball jackpot was sold in California.
The winning numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing were 7, 10, 11, 13 and 24, and the Powerball was 24. The jackpot ticket was sold at the Las Palmitas Mini Market in Los Angeles, the California Lottery said.
The jackpot has a cash value of $516.8 million, before taxes.
Three tickets sold in Florida, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island won $2 million, Powerball said. There were also several Match 5 winners in California (seven), Connecticut, Florida (four), Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts (three), Maryland (two), Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey (two), New York (five), Ohio, Texas (four), Wisconsin and West Virginia. Each ticket won $1 million.
The Powerball jackpot is now reset to $20 million.
The Powerball, which was last hit on April 19, had 38 consecutive drawings without a winner.
The winner has the choice between annual payments over 30 years, which increase by 5% each year, or a lump sum payment.
“This has turned into a historic jackpot run; this is only the third time in Powerball’s 31-year history that a jackpot has reached the billion-dollar threshold,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and Pennsylvania Lottery executive director. “It only takes one ticket to win this massive jackpot or any of Powerball’s other cash prizes. If you win the jackpot, sign your ticket, put it somewhere very safe, and reach out to your local lottery.”
The biggest jackpot in Powerball history was a $2.04 billion prize claimed by a man in Altadena, California, in November 2022. The only other time the Powerball jackpot crossed a billion was when three tickets won a $1.586 billion prize in January 2016.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.