By Todd Northrop
The multi-state Mega Millions lottery game once again enters the spotlight, as lottery players across the United States will vie for a Mega-jackpot Tuesday that promises to radically change one lucky winner's life.
After nobody won Friday night's Mega Millions drawing, the $201 million jackpot 'rolled over', and the new estimate for Tuesday's drawing is a massive $244 million.
The cash value — the most important factor for many jackpot-watchers — stands at a staggering $155.7 million.
Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot is the accumulation of 13 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner. The current jackpot run-up started on Feb. 4 as a $12 million grand prize.
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 Friday night, there was no jackpot winner, but 12 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $250,000 prize: 1 from Georgia, 1 from Michigan, 5 from New Jersey, 1 from Pennsylvania, 1 from South Carolina, 1 from Tennessee, and 2 from Texas.
The Friday Mega Millions winning numbers were 14, 33, 34, 54, and 56, with a Mega Ball number of 37. The Megaplier was 4.
Players who purchase the Megaplier for an extra $1 per ticket can have their non-jackpot prizes multiplied by the Megaplier number drawn that evening. For example, for Friday night's drawing, players who purchased the Megaplier and won a $10,000 prize would have their prize multiplied by 4, and would win $40,000.
After it was determined that there were no jackpot-winning tickets in Friday's drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $43 million from its previous amount of $201 million. The cash value was raised by $27.4 million, from its previous amount of $128.3 million.
The next Mega Millions drawing will take place Tuesday evening at 11:00 pm EDT.
Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 41 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For a complete set of game descriptions, results, history, and all questions regarding Mega Millions, lottery players are encouraged to visit USA Mega (www.usamega.com), a Web site that caters to the Unites States's two multi-state lottery games, Powerball and Mega Millions.
The Mega Millions winning numbers will be published at USA Mega minutes after the 11:00 pm EDT drawing.
I'd love to see this roll over into the 400's! The lines were long yesterday, so I can imagine what we are in for next week!
Good Luck everyone!!!!
With MM and PB tickets selling in almost every state now, I thought long lines were a thing of the past. When I stopped at a local gas station tonight to buy my MM tickets I was the only customer.
Me too! I love the excitment of a large jackpot....I do dislike when the jackpot gets up to over 200 million and those people who never play and laugh when you play all the sudden want an office pool.....and the lines in the store are longer with people who don't know how to fill in a playslip or what a QP is........
Todd- I appreciate how the Usa Mega site is updated in a timely manner. I figured that someone would have hit the jackpot Friday but with odds at 1 in 176 million it could rollover for several more drawings. It is likely that with the jackpot being well over 200 million that some person or group will win before the end of March. That being said I hope that someone from the LP family wins and in particular I hope that person is me. I don't have to be the sole winner but it would be nice to have one of the winning tickets. I know that it is a longshot but you have NO SHOT if you don't have a ticket. "You have to be in it 2 win it!" Good luck everyone
"You make a living by what you get, You make a LIFE by what you give!"
Sir Winston Churchill
the real excitment is if it rolls 1 more time.
$242 Million
its 244m, maybe it will go up a few more million by the time draw ready, as this is the Time they start low balling us
but they have the data sells numbers form mega run Just like this run from just over 2 months, so now i think they have a clue as not to lowball it to Much. and have a Clue as to get real close first time around.
anyway, if it rolls, going form 244m to the 360+ million range, or 220+ cash is must likly
it could even break 380m range, but their 1 major issue, that 380m roll had 4 Days to sell!, if we roll again, it only be 3 days of sells before the draw,
, and next draw about 360m to 370m, with cash being somewhere around 220m to 230m cash
sure making it one of largest jackpots overall, any who said we won't have to many high jackpots with 41 states, Ha?
also am just waiting to say houston we have left off if it rolls again.
however if it somehow rolls 2 times, we have 4 days of selling with everyone and their dog buying high 400+ million jackpot as they market it
, we easy Pass 500m mark, our first half a billion.......... thro the odds are not its favor at that point
we can sure roll 1 more time must likly, thro the 300m range has proven the sells are off the charts with 41 states, and it has a low chance of rolling past it
ether way, enjoy the dreams of what we could buy if any of us Won this large jackpot, it takes a full month and half of rolls just to get to this current level, or 14th draw.
also i like it when people who Don'y play , Start Playing, we need ever player we can get to set new records
, once they understand how games work, check their numbers online, etc, maybe just maybe, they come back around ever more so often in the future
, cease they now tryed it already, and be more likly to buy a ticket, thro once lotto fever gone, ya, not many keep playing LOL
Well, after the next draw lottery fever starts - if nobody wins of course. With proper media coverage all those posted jackpots won't be even close to actual jackpot value. And if no winner next two draws - it will shoot well beyond half a billion.
My first comment on Lottery Post! How's everybody doing? Been playing the big jackpot games Mega Millions and Powerball since a few drawings right before Powerball came to NJ (hope that makes sense)!
Good luck everyone and I hope someone shares the good news on Lottery Post when they win it all!
Welcome to Lottery post CrazyHazyYay,
Welcome to LP. Good Luck to you.
I was counting on putting about $80 million in by bank account after last nites drawing .............................. but now I will purchase a ticket for about $101 million after taxes ............ I guess I will take it if I win but it is too much ..................... YEA RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to the LP CrazyHazy....Good luck to you also.
I hate to disappoint you dpoly1 but I have multiple accounts set up to handle the $109 million I expect to receive after 1) all six numbers match on my ticket, 2) I claim the jackpot win under a trust I have established, 3) Uncle Obama...oops, I mean Uncle Sam takes his cut, and 4) Papa "Raise My Taxes" Quinn gets his cut (that will be the last taxes Illinois get from me as I will move south after the big win...no longer want to fund those inflated public pensions...yep, I am a hardworking privately employed citizen).
Well, I know that your odds are not increased by buying more than $1 worth of tickets, but I think I am going to employ a strategy that seems to have worked well (luckily so) for many of the past jackpot winners...I am going to wheel about $500 worth of tickets for this next drawing...so that way if the several lines of the six numbers I select are spot on, I am guaranteed to win and not just come away with $250,000. Wish me luck. Good luck OldSchoolPa.....oh and when I win the lottery, I am going to visit my Mom...really I am (hey, it worked for someone so don't knock it!). Oh and I am going to also purchase those $500 worth of MegaMillion tickets as a pool....right now my pool has 3 people in it....ME, MYSELF, and I (oops, I guess technically it is 4 since I am married, but since she doesn't believe in playing the lottery, is she technically still in my "pool"?)!!!!!
I really don't notice too much of a "frenzy" anymore when the MegaMillions and PowerBall jackpots get large. Now that they're both sold in pretty much all lottery states, the jackpots grow faster and are won more often. It's just a more commonplace occurence that people don't get so excited about. None of the people who I work around ever want to start pools anymore either. (I wouldn't join a pool anyway.)
I honestly can't recall the last time I had to stand in line to buy lottery tickets except when I happened to be behind people buying gas, beer, cigarettes, doughnuts, energy drinks and such. I think any long lines are more likely to form at lottery retailers that happen to be in towns that border non-lottery states, but that's just my guess.
Personally, I play MegaMillions and PowerBall whether the jackpot value is the minimum twelve or fifteen million dollars respectively, or an amount of hundreds of millions of dollars. Any of the jackpots would put me in a much better spot than I'm in now. Larger, longer jackpot runs only mean that fewer jackpots are being won. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see that as a good thing for players. The vast majority of us would be in pretty good shape if we could just win one of those starting jackpots.
here in conn where I am no lines very sweet, hope to hit, so good luck to all