12th-largest US lottery jackpot in history; 15th-largest cash value
By Todd Northrop
There are going to be a lot of lottery tickets sold this week.
For only the 12th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot has exceeded $600 million.
The new high-water mark of $630 million for the current Mega Millions jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Tuesday night's $555 million grand prize.
The lump-sum cash payout value of Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is a staggering $359.7 million. After-tax cash and annuity prize amounts are reported state-by-state on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Mega Millions and Powerball multi-state lottery games.
Friday's mammoth jackpot is the result of 27 consecutive draws without a winner. The run-up started as a $20 million prize on April 19.
Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs.
The winning numbers for Tuesday, July 19, 2022 were 2, 31, 32, 37, and 70, with Mega Ball number 25. The Megaplier number was 3.
Even though nobody won the jackpot Tuesday, 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Arizona, 1 from California, 1 from North Carolina, and 1 from New Hampshire. None of the second prize winners purchased the Megaplier for an additional $1. If they had, their prize would have been multiplied to $3 million.
The California second-prize winner will take home a $629,182 prize, because California does not pay out fixed prizes like all the other states. By law, California awards all lottery prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold within California and the number of tickets that won at each prize level in the state.
All Mega Millions jurisdictions except California offer the Megaplier option, which for an extra $1 per play multiplies any non-jackpot prizes the player wins by the Megaplier number drawn. The Megaplier 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.
Also, a total of 52 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 11 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $30,000, and 8 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $10,896.
The complete payout information and official drawing video for Tuesday's drawing can be found at USA Mega's Mega Millions Drawing Information page.
Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $75 million from its previous amount of $555 million. The cash value was raised by $42.8 million from its previous amount of $316.9 million.
The next Mega Millions drawing will take place Friday night at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific).
To find the nearest lottery retailer to buy your tickets, head over to the Lottery Places website to download the free app on your iOS or Android phone or Windows computer. Lottery Places is the only app on the market that will locate lottery retailers in every state and jurisdiction throughout the United States.
Some state lotteries offer online ticket purchases, allowing players to bypass the store completely. Such is the case with Michigan and Virginia. Other states such as Minnesota, Orgeon, and Texas use a state-licensed courier service to enable online purchases. Players outside the USA can play online through a reputable butler service that delivers scanned images of the lottery tickets to verify the ticket purchase and ownership.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 each. For an extra $1 per ticket players can purchase the Megaplier option, which multiplies any non-jackpot won by up to 5 times, depending on the Megaplier number drawn that evening.
Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Mega Millions lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Mega Millions.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 12th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 5th-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. Brisk sales will likely push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
If nobody wins Friday, it's anyone's guess how high it will go.
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
- Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $630 million, Jul. 22, 2022 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 (22 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 (34 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $522 million, Jun. 7, 2019 (24 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $516 million, May 21, 2021 (26 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Pennsylvania
- Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $473.1 million, Apr. 27, 2022 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Arizona
- Powerball: $456.7 million, Mar. 17, 2018 (19 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $451 million, Jan. 5, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Florida
For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 14
- Mega Millions: 11
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 15th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
- Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
- Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
- Mega Millions: $359.7 million cash, Jul. 22, 2022 ($630 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $341.7 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $319.9 million cash, Jun. 9, 2020 ($414 million annuity) - Arizona
- Mega Millions: $314.4 million cash, Sep. 21, 2021 ($431 million annuity) - New York
- Mega Millions: $292.9 million cash, Jan. 28, 2022 ($426 million annuity) - California
The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 12
- Mega Millions: 13
Good Luck Friday MM Players: Maybe this is the One!
Thanks Todd & Kate for this story!
So what will it end up being, $650 million???
If Powerball is won tonight, it seems when the other lottery IS up there like MM is, then it really takes off!
Told ya all. It will happen next week. We will see what happens Fri. next tues will be a winner.
Well i not the winner but i dont understand i 6 numbers but they dont give me anything ... well in goin try again on friday lets see is i win.. thank you guy GOD BLESS US . good luck everyone..
You've got this. We all believe in you champ!
Turning A $2 Investment Into $630 Million. Good Luck Everybody.
$359,700,000.00 CASH I mean $226,611,000.00 Sorta has a nice comforting ring to it
What a joke !!
You know whose making money on that .
Lottery
Then only 1 or maybe haha a couple people win.
Wouldn't waste a dime on it
Rip off
I was just reviewing the how to play on the MM
the "Just the Jackpot" option must be one of the worst options ever offered a player.
I mean they offer you 1 free ticket and you loose the right to all other prizes
even the $2 return which is a 37 to 1 shot.
I know many folks play hoping for the 2nd prize, who would pass that up for $3 saving ?
if I were to hit that, I would have done a stock of netflix. That looks good. There are others out there.
* Here's to hoping a lottery forum player bags it!
Remember Housekeeper, wink wink.
Good luck everybody.
s to the numerous opportunities for one or possibly smallish group will soon be afforded
hope it hits in an anonymous state
LOL, you're on a lottery site. We're all aware the lottery makes money from it and that the odds are crap. Congrats on your saved dimes.