$400 MILLION: Massive Mega Millions lottery jackpot set for Friday

Dec 11, 2013, 8:20 am (133 comments)

Mega Millions

5th-largest US jackpot of all time

By Todd Northrop

The changes made in October have put the "Mega" back into Mega Millions.

Ever since the United States lotteries tweaked the rules to the multi-state Mega Millions game starting Oct. 22, its jackpot has been on a quick ascendency and has now become the 5th-largest US jackpot of all time.

When no player matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball Tuesday night, the jackpot estimate for Friday night's Mega Millions drawing was raised to $400 million, with a lump-sum cash option of $216.4 million.

That pegs the annuity jackpot as the 5th-largest United States lottery jackpot of all time, and the cash option as the ninth-largest.  (See the full list of top-25 United States annuity and cash lottery jackpots below.)

Lottery players can see an after-tax analysis of the current Mega Millions jackpot by visiting USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis page.

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is the accumulation of 20 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner.  The current jackpot run-up started on October 4 as a $12 million grand prize — it has been more than two months since Mega Millions has had a jackpot winner.

Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs.

In the latest Mega Millions drawing that took place this past Tuesday night, there was no jackpot winner, but 5 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Connecticut, 1 from Massachusetts, 1 from New Jersey, and 2 from Ohio.

None of the five second-place winners purchased their ticket with the Megaplier option for an extra $1 per play. If they had, their prize would have been doubled to $2 million, because the Megaplier number drawn was 2.

The Megaplier option is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered with the Megaplier is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.

A total of 87 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $5,000 prize. Of those tickets, 11 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $5,574.

The Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, December 10, 2013, were 5, 12, 22, 41, and 65, with Mega Ball number 13. The Megaplier number was 2.

Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $56 million from its previous amount of $344 million. The cash value was raised by $32.4 million, from its previous amount of $184 million.

Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 43 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $1 each.

A 44th Mega Millions state may be added in early 2014, as the state of Wyoming has approved a new state lottery with the intention of joining multi-state lottery games. (See Wyoming officially becomes 44th state with a lottery, Lottery Post, Mar. 14, 2013.)

The Mega Millions winning numbers are published at USA Mega (www.usamega.com) minutes after the drawing takes place.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 5th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States.  That position may rise before the drawing Friday night, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

  1. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
  2. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
  3. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
  4. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
  5. Mega Millions: $400 million, Dec. 13, 2013 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
  6. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
  7. Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
  8. Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
  9. Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
  10. The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
  11. Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
  12. Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
  13. Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
  14. Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
  15. Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
  16. The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
  17. Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
  18. Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
  19. Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
  20. Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 25, 2002 - West Virgina
  21. Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
  22. Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
  23. Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
  24. Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
  25. Powerball: $276.3 million, Mar. 15, 2008 - West Virgina

For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

  • Mega Millions: 9
  • Powerball: 14
  • The Big Game: 2

The Big Game is the original name of Mega Millions, from the game's first drawing on Sep. 6, 1996 through May 14, 2002.  The name was changed to Mega Millions starting with the May 17, 2002 drawing.

Top 25 cash value jackpots

Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.

Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the 9th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

  1. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
  2. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
  3. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
  4. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
  5. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
  6. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
  7. Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
  8. Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
  9. Mega Millions: $216.4 million cash, Dec. 13, 2013 ($400 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
  10. Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
  11. Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
  12. Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
  13. Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
  14. Mega Millions: $194.4. million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
  15. Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
  16. The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan
  17. Powerball: $177.3 million cash, Feb. 18, 2006 ($365 million annuity) - Nebraska
  18. Powerball: $170.5 million cash, Dec. 25, 2002 ($314.9 million annuity) - West Virginia
  19. Mega Millions: $168 million cash, July 2, 2004 ($294 million annuity) - Massachusetts
  20. Mega Millions: $167.7 million cash, Feb. 22, 2008 ($275 million annuity) - Georgia
  21. Powerball: $166 million cash, Aug. 25, 2001 ($295 million annuity) - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
  22. Mega Millions: $165.2 million cash, May 4, 2010 ($266 million annuity) - California
  23. Powerball: $164.4 million cash, won Oct. 19, 2005 ($340 million annuity) - Oregon
  24. Mega Millions: $164 million cash, Feb. 28, 2006 ($270 million annuity) - Ohio
  25. Powerball: $161.5 million cash, July 29, 1998 ($295.7 million annuity) - Indiana

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

sully16's avatarsully16

Pretty cool! Good luck everyone.

Jill34786's avatarJill34786

Todd- the cash value of the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot won on December 25, 2002 is $170,505,876 and should be on the top 25 cash value list at #18.

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Come on 2nd place players Megaplier! Megaplier! Megaplier!

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Skeptical could be an interesting Xmas and or fangtastic start for new year

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Who would choose these numbers?  Look at that 65 coming out of nowhere lol

5, 12, 22, 41, 65, Mega Ball  13

Quick Pick, those look like Quick Pick numbers.

DDOH937's avatarDDOH937

Quote: Originally posted by Nikkicute on Dec 11, 2013

Come on 2nd place players Megaplier! Megaplier! Megaplier!

Trust me Nikkicute, I'm with you. I just don't get it. You HAVE to get the multiplier...especially with these astronomical odds. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??????

Congrats to them though. I'm sure they're smiling non-the-less!! Get it together people: MULTIPIER, MULTIPLIER, MULTIPLIER!!!!

DDOH937's avatarDDOH937

Quote: Originally posted by Nikkicute on Dec 11, 2013

Who would choose these numbers?  Look at that 65 coming out of nowhere lol

5, 12, 22, 41, 65, Mega Ball  13

Quick Pick, those look like Quick Pick numbers.

HAHHAHAHAHHAHA!!! Good one! I know right, of all the numbers in the pack, darn 65....hahaha. You know what i was thinking this morning and it might seem strange, i really like these incredibly long odds. It kinda feels like whoever wins, truly and really got lucky and in some perverse way these long odds makes it feel like an even playing field. I know, i know, crazy thinking but...

Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by Jill34786 on Dec 11, 2013

Todd- the cash value of the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot won on December 25, 2002 is $170,505,876 and should be on the top 25 cash value list at #18.

Thanks for pointing that out.

FrankBurns

This will be the first US Lottery to climb to 1 Billion Dollars

*************$1,OOO,OOO,OOO*************

DDOH937's avatarDDOH937

Yes Sir!!! INDEED!!!! Looking Forward to the exhilarating rush and shock i'll feel after seeing my six numbers on Dec 27!!!! Yeeeaahhhh!!! Can't wait!!

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

This would be a great Jackpot for Pennsylvania's 1st big win in Mega Millions!

Good luck to all LP members!

Dance A Party in PA!

Jon D's avatarJon D

I'll bet the Mega Millions folks are patting themselves on the back at the success of this inaugural run of the new MM matrix, and hoping for another rollover, which is still likely.

Powerball had begun to dominate the top 10 recently, and with this one run MM is turning that around and starting to take it back.

The news people usually start talking about JPs when they get over $300M, but whether due to jackpot fatigue, seasonal issues, or other distractions like the Mandela story, I haven't seen much of anything yet. This $400M JP should get the talking heads talking again, to whip sales into a frenzy.

Shelby Mustang

Quote: Originally posted by DDOH937 on Dec 11, 2013

Trust me Nikkicute, I'm with you. I just don't get it. You HAVE to get the multiplier...especially with these astronomical odds. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??????

Congrats to them though. I'm sure they're smiling non-the-less!! Get it together people: MULTIPIER, MULTIPLIER, MULTIPLIER!!!!

I am with you both as well. I always get the megapleir now and this last drawing my two quick picks I had 13 as the megaball for both sets LOL so at least it paid for my next 2 tickets for Fri.

RedStang's avatarRedStang

Quote: Originally posted by Nikkicute on Dec 11, 2013

Who would choose these numbers?  Look at that 65 coming out of nowhere lol

5, 12, 22, 41, 65, Mega Ball  13

Quick Pick, those look like Quick Pick numbers.

You're good Nikki. They are definitely QP #s.

mightwin's avatarmightwin

Quote: Originally posted by Nikkicute on Dec 11, 2013

Come on 2nd place players Megaplier! Megaplier! Megaplier!

Megaplier makes sense if you only play a few picks a draw, but if you get 10 picks a draw that would be a little pricey. I play to win the jackpot but if I happen to get runner up, I'm OK with that too....lol

mightwin's avatarmightwin

Let's keep rolling!

Saylorgirl's avatarSaylorgirl

Quote: Originally posted by mightwin on Dec 11, 2013

Megaplier makes sense if you only play a few picks a draw, but if you get 10 picks a draw that would be a little pricey. I play to win the jackpot but if I happen to get runner up, I'm OK with that too....lol

I agree with you!  I don't purchase the multiplier either if I did I would have to cut down on the tickets I purchase.  I will have no regrets if I win the second place and take home a million.

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

Oh yeah, it's getting warm. Keep rolling baby.GuitarDrum

One-Day

Yeah, cash option is the way to go.  Wasn't aware of the new MM annuity option rules.  Not worth it.  Thought it was equal payments still.

 

Difference Between Cash Value and Annuity

If you win a Mega Millions jackpot, you will choose how to be paid: Cash Option or Annual Payout. Prize claim parameters vary from state to state. Contact your Mega Millions lottery for detailed information.

Annuity option: The Mega Millions annuity is paid out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous one. We used to pay the jackpot in equal installments, but players expressed concern that the cost of living would be increasing while their payments were not. We changed to payments that increase each year to help protect winners’ lifestyle and purchasing power.

For a typical jackpot of $50 million, the initial payment would be more than $750,000, and future annual payments would grow to almost $3.1 million.

When the jackpot is $100 million, each payment is twice as big. When the jackpot is $25 million, each payment is half as big, etc.

Cash option: A one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.

noise-gate

This is going to be exciting,  hopefully there is more than one winner. Spread the Good fortune, why should there be only one winner sitting on this pot of gold like...Smaug?...*The Hobbit.

Party

golfer1960's avatargolfer1960

$400M!!! Hmm...Sweet Dreams!

 

Sweet Dreams

Jill34786's avatarJill34786

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Dec 11, 2013

Thanks for pointing that out.

You're welcome.

Jill34786's avatarJill34786

Quote: Originally posted by golfer1960 on Dec 11, 2013

$400M!!! Hmm...Sweet Dreams!

 

Sweet Dreams

Hey Golfer- I was hoping you had won the 2nd place prize in NJ.

Arrowhead's avatarArrowhead

Three QP w/megaplier. Six bucks, all I'm spending chasing this fool's errand.

This has become a game of which can outdo/out-promote the other for media attention...MM or PB. Would rather see old MM odds and more winners with, yes, lesser jackpots.

SeattleJoe

Now that the media frenzy will start the jackpot and the number of players will increase substantially and I expect a winner in the next two draws. Most likely this next one. 

I know people who didn't even know about the 344m jackpot. Now that the local and national media will be hyping it by Friday I think the jackpot will be 450m by the drawing.

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Woo Hoo $400 million Banana

Piaceri

Good luck everyone!

 

Hoping for a singlewinnersinglewinnersinglewinner! Dance

 

From TEXAS!!!!! Texas

mnsweeps

I am actually not becoming a fan of MM....I am for a larger number of people winning rather than have a huge sum go to one person...Love the idea of spreading the love...They should have increased the odds of winning the JP rather than decrease it.

ShowMeTheMoney$'s avatarShowMeTheMoney$

$400 million would be an awesome Christmas present and start the new year in grand style.   Personally, I like to see one winner because it's just more exciting, and I hope the winner is me! 

PartyPartyPartyPartyParty

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