The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an astounding $1 billion for Tuesday night’s drawing, according to lottery officials. This enormous jackpot comes after no winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Friday night. Friday’s numbers were 5, 10, 28, 52, 63, and the Mega Ball was 18.
If someone manages to win Tuesday’s jackpot, they will have the option to receive the prize in annual payments spread out over 29 years, or they can choose a lump-sum option of approximately $527.9 million. The estimated jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing is $1.05 billion, which would make it the fourth-largest prize in Mega Millions’ history.
While no one claimed the jackpot on Friday, there were still some significant winnings. One lucky ticket sold in Pennsylvania matched the first five numbers and activated the optional Megaplier, winning a whopping $5 million. Additionally, four other tickets matched the first five numbers without the Megaplier, winning $1 million each. These tickets were sold in Arizona, California, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The current record for the largest Mega Millions jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina in 2018. This is followed by a $1.348 billion ticket sold in Maine in January and a $1.337 billion prize won in July. The fourth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history is a $1.05 billion prize won by a ticket sold in Michigan earlier this year.
It seems that massive jackpots are becoming more common, as just last week a Powerball ticket sold in Los Angeles won a staggering $1.08 billion – the third-largest Powerball jackpot ever.
Excitement is building as the Mega Millions drawing approaches, with millions of hopeful players eagerly waiting to see if they will become the next billionaire.