Cash value worth nearly a half-billion dollars
By Todd Northrop
Just six months after Mega Millions delivered a $1.35 billion jackpot to one ticket sold in Maine, the multi-state lottery game came roaring back with a jackpot to be drawn Friday that is also nearing the $1 billion mark.
When nobody won Tuesday night's $820 million grand prize, the Mega Millions jackpot grew to an estimated $910 million — the largest since a January 13, 2023 $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot was claimed anonymously by a Maine lottery player who claimed the prize under a legal trust. Lottery Post featured the Maine jackpot win as the subject of an in-depth look at the aftermath of winning such a large prize.
The multi-state Powerball game also recently exceeded the $1 billion milestone, when one ticket sold in California won a $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot on July 19. The media circus accompanying such a massive outlay of money has already begun.
The next Mega Millions drawing is on Friday night at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific).
Friday's $910 million Mega Millions jackpot is the 5th-largest in the game's history, and the 8th-largest United States lottery jackpot of all time (see full list below).
The lump-sum cash value of $464.2 million is the 13th-largest on the all-time US lottery jackpot cash value list.
The current jackpot run-up started on April 21 as a $20 million grand prize. It is 3 months since Mega Millions has had a jackpot winner, when a $476 million jackpot was won by one ticket sold in New York on April 14, followed by a $20 million jackpot also won by a ticket sold in New York four days later on April 18. The $476 million jackpot was claimed in June, and the $20 jackpot was claimed a couple of weeks later by a Syracuse-based trust.
Lottery players wondering what all the cash will look like in their bank account after federal and state taxes are taken out can see an after-tax analysis of the current Mega Millions jackpot by visiting USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis page.
The rush of ticket sales over the next few days may propel the jackpot to an even higher amount before the drawing takes place Friday. Lottery Post and USA Mega will update the jackpot tallies displayed if such an increase occurs.
In Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 2 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Maryland and 1 from Texas.
One of the second-prize winners — the one sold in Texas — purchased their ticket with the Megaplier option for an extra $1 per play, multiplying their prize to $4 million because the Megaplier number drawn was 4.
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 lottery 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.
Also, a total of 54 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 7 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $40,000, and 7 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $13,122.
The Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, July 25, 2023, were 3, 5, 6, 44, and 61, with Mega Ball number 25. The Megaplier number was 4.
The complete payout information and official drawing video for Tuesday's drawing can be found at USA Mega's Mega Millions Drawing Information page, as well as on the Mega Millions Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.
Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $90 million from its previous amount of $820 million. The cash value was raised by $45.9 million from its previous amount of $418.3 million.
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 Fridays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time.
Players looking for the nearest official lottery retailer — or maybe just a different store without such a long line — are urged to use the free Lottery Places app available for iOS, Android, and Windows. The app can find lottery stores in every Mega Millions state and can search across state lines — something even official state lotteries can't do.
Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. States that offer this ability include Michigan (Mega Millions and Powerball), Minnesota (Mega Millions and Powerball), Oregon (Mega Millions and Powerball), Texas (Mega Millions and Powerball), and Virginia (Mega Millions and Powerball). Note that some of these links will only work properly for residents of the states mentioned.
Players outside the USA can use a reputable butler service, which provides scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, the lottery ticket service was used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.
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, Powerball and Mega Millions.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 8th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 5th-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever.
If nobody wins Friday, the next drawing would almost certainly be greater than $1 billion.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- 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: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
- Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
- Powerball: $1.0798 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $910 million, Jul. 28, 2023 (28 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- 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: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
- 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: $648 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
- 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
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 13th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
- 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: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
- Powerball: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
- 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
- Mega Millions: $464.2 million cash, Jul. 28, 2023 ($910 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
- 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
- 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 ($648 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
The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
I don't know, I may buy a ticket for the draw. I haven't decided what tickets I am going to get yet.
It will probably roll a couple more times at least.
Agree but y the cash so low?
I had 5,6 (25) fr numbers I suddenly chose
The cash value is actually not bad — more than half of the annuity. But of course that is looking at it backwards, which is explained in this video.
I honestly didn't think anyone would hit. I had the mb, was looking at my pyramid. hhhhmmm.
Yeah but you get maybe 200 extra million with the annual payments. And the payments increase year to year; starting at 7 figures? I mean what 9 million bucks the first year is not enough? Those payments can be easily transferred to heirs and estates anything happens unfortunate wise health wise. I guess if talking about money one doesn't have, it's a place to start. Somebody got 20 bucks from me though. Don't have it anymore.
i could buy all the possible numbers and i still would not win 5 dollars!
I bought 5 lines using a different method for each line and matched 3 numbers total, none on the same line and no MegaBall.
Playing again Friday using the same 5 methods. Maybe the numbers will line up this time.
I looked at those first 3 numbers on last nights draw and thought "OH NO, not the birthday numbers thing again"....thank goodness for the 44 and 61.
Had the 6 on one line and 61 on another.... Thats okay.... Just going to keep chipping away.
Good luck on Friday to all LP members.....greatly appreciate your contributions to my future early retirement cash value account.
Got ambitious and had seven tickets from different stores while in a road trip over the weekend.
I matched 4 lines, single digits on each and did not match the MB on any - so I won zero $ meh 😕
Well, I got one ticket with powerplay for today's PB.
Will get 5 tickets for the Friday MM draw. After I win the jackpot or whoever wins, I will go back to one ticket with multiplier till we get this high again.
Still thinking on what strategy to use, not that it matters, but is just part of the fun process.
Wish us all luck.
Maybe it will roll, maybe it will not, there is no telling 😁
FUN STORY: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS.
So I play the lottery but my spouse does not know that I do. Not that there is anything to hide, but I am pretty certain that they would think it's a waste of time. Also the plan is if I win big it's going to be a great surprise for them.
Note that I have a budget set aside for that - I don't smoke, don't drink, don't buy coffee - so that is my "wasteful spending line" if you may.
So every time we are on a road trip, I love to buy tickets along the way. After an hour or so of driving, I pull into a gas station and am like "Am going to use the bathroom" I dash into the store and grab a quick pick and we are on the way again.
I make a number of stops based on what I have budgeted.
After a few stops my spouse is always like "I think you need to get your bladder checked, it's an hour since you last used the bathroom"
I always put on a thoughtful face and my response is "It's always good to stretch a little after an hour or so of driving, it helps with circulation you know. It's a good way to keep Deep Vein Thrombosis at bay"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
What's everybody's story - especially if your partner doesn't know that you play.
You don't buy coffee ????
COMMUNIST !!
"Maybe it will roll, maybe it will not, there is no telling "
We never know what will happen, but there's a bit more than an 80% chance of a rollover based on the sales estimate. The chances of 2 rollovers is probably a bit better than 50%, thanks to the small increases.