Posted on: December 23, 2024, 08:47h.
Last updated on: December 23, 2024, 08:47h.
The Mega Millions Christmas Eve jackpot stands to be the gift of the year for the lucky player who overcomes the odds of one in 302,575,350 in matching the five white balls and gold Mega Ball on Tuesday night.
The Mega Millions jackpot hasn’t been hit since Sept. 10 when a ticket sold in Texas claimed a $810 million annuitized prize. Over the 29 subsequent drawings, the jackpot has rolled over to an estimated $944 million, with a one-time cash option of $429.4 million.
If tomorrow night’s drawing at 11 p.m. EST from the Mega Millions draw studio at the Georgia Lottery headquarters in Atlanta finds a winner, the prize would be the richest lottery payout during December in U.S. history. At $944 million, the jackpot also stands as the seventh-richest prize in Mega Millions history.
Friday Winners
Mega Millions is played twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. Last Friday, the winning numbers were 2, 20, 51, 56, and 67, and the gold Mega Ball was 19.
During the Dec. 20 drawing, more than two million tickets won a prize across all non-jackpot prize levels. Five tickets matched the five white balls for the game’s second-best prize of $1 million. None of those plays opted for the $1 add-on Megaplier that would have doubled their payout to $2 million after the Megaplier landed on 2x.
Another 48 tickets matched four of the five white balls plus the Mega Ball for the game’s third-best price of $10K. Eleven of those tickets had the Megaplier to double their win.
Most of the winning tickets — more than 1.36 million plays — matched the gold Mega Ball to win back their $2 entry. About 265K had the Megaplier to net a $2 profit.
Mega Overhaul
How Mega Millions operates will soon change. In October, the Mega Millions Consortium confirmed speculation that the base price will more than double from $2 to $5 beginning in April 2025.
The $5 ticket, however, comes with the Megaplier automatically included. That means there will no longer be “break-even” outcomes, as a winning ticket next spring will always return more money than the $5 bet staked.
The jackpot’s odds of one in approximately 302.5 million won’t change, as the number of white and gold Mega Balls will remain the same. Mega Millions has 70 white balls and 25 Mega Balls.
Officials with Powerball, Mega Millions’ primary rival, say they have no plans for ticket price increases or game changes. Powerball draws tonight, with the jackpot at an estimated $103 million.
Powerball has slightly better jackpot odds than Mega Millions at one in 292.2 million. Since tonight’s Powerball jackpot is less than $150 million, the 10x Power Play multiplier is in play.
Outstanding $1.13B Ticket
In March, a Mega Millions ticket sold at a ShopRite grocery and liquor store in Neptune, N.J., won a 30-year annuitized jackpot worth $1.128 billion. The fifth-richest prize in Mega Millions history, the New Jersey Lottery says the ticket still hasn’t been redeemed.
New Jersey’s lottery law requires winning tickets to be redeemed within 12 months of the draw. The winner has until March 26, 2025, to come forward.
