Those who feel lucky have a chance to win the $ 865 million Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday night, the largest in at least two years. The abundance reached those heights because there had not been a winner since mid-September.
A payout of $ 865 million would be Mega Millions’ second largest, behind only a $ 1.54 billion bonanza won in 2018.
Each Mega Millions ticket costs $ 2 and winners must include six numbers, including the Mega Ball, to take home the full amount.
The one-time cash option for Tuesday’s jackpot was at least $ 638.8 million. Taking the cash value of the jackpot’s lump sum is an option that most winners prefer. Otherwise, the jackpot will be distributed over 30 years.
If no one matches all of Tuesday night’s winning numbers, the next draw on Friday night, according to Mega Millions, will have an estimated $ 970 million jackpot.
Tuesday’s Mega Millions wins
- 10, 19, 26, 28, 50
- Mega Ball: 16
- Megaplier: 2x
Mega Millions tickets are on sale in 44 states, Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
Meanwhile, the Powerball lottery jackpot has increased to an estimated $ 730 million. Winning numbers will be drawn on Wednesday evening.
Even with both jackpots, it still turns out compared to the biggest price, a $ 1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three players in 2016. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on September 15, 2020 in Wisconsin, when a single winner earned a $ 120 million prize. The game was won five times last year, with a $ 414 million jackpot in June as the biggest prize, according to officials.
The chances of winning a jackpot are slim: 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball.
The following are the ten largest Mega Millions jackpots ever, along with where the tickets were purchased:
- $ 1.54 billion – one winning ticket in South Carolina (October 2018)
- $ 656 million – three winning tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland (March 2012)
- $ 648 million – two winning tickets in California and Georgia (December 2013)
- $ 615 million – unknown if there are winners (January 2021)
- $ 543 million – one winning ticket in California (July 2018)
- $ 536 million – one winning ticket in Indiana (July 2016)
- $ 533 million – one winning ticket in New Jersey (March 2018)
- $ 522 million – one winning ticket in California (June 2019)
- $ 451 million – one winning ticket in Florida (January 2018)
- $ 437 million – one winning ticket in New York (January 2019)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.