Friday’s Mega Millions lottery jackpot approaches $1-billion mark
With no lottery winners matching all six numbers on Tuesday, the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to nearly $1 billion, one of the largest prizes in the game’s history.
The next drawing, on Friday, will be for an estimated $940-million prize, the multi-state lottery body announced Wednesday. This marks the fourth-largest jackpot since the Mega Millions launched in 2002. There have been 23 drawings since the last jackpot was won in October.
The last time a player picked all six numbers, on Oct. 14, two tickets split a $502-million jackpot and were purchased in San Jose, Calif., and Fort Myers, Fla. The Mega Millions lottery is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It first launched in 2002 and includes a six-number draw, with some states offering an optional $1 multiplier.
The largest jackpot in the game’s history was purchased in South Carolina in October 2018. The single ticket was worth $1.5 billion, according to lottery officials.
California Lottery officials say the only winning ticket was sold at a gas station in Altadena. But the winner hasn’t come forward yet.
Another billionaire was made in January 2021 when a winning ticket, worth $1.05 billion, was purchased in Michigan. And last year, a person won a $1.3-billion jackpot in Illinois, according to the Mega Millions consortium, the 10-state body that oversees the game.
Although there were no Mega Millions jackpot winners in Tuesday’s drawing, there were nearly 3 million players who won various prizes as they matched up three to five numbers. Nine tickets sold in Arizona, Mississippi and South Dakota, each worth $4 million. Three tickets sold in Texas, Virginia and Maryland were worth $1 million each, 68 tickets won $40,000 each, and 56 won $10,000 each, according to officials.
There were six Mega Million jackpot winners in 2022, ranging from a $20-million prize to the $1.3-billion prize that was won in Illinois.
Mega Millions tickets are sold for $2, and Friday’s drawing will be at 7:59 p.m. PT.
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