![Mega Millions](/images/newsicons/newsicon_megamillions.jpg)
Mega Millions buying frenzy sends jackpot to brink of world record
Includes video report
Updated at 1:03 pm with Maryland sales stats
By Todd Northrop
Certainly the state lotteries expected the multi-state Mega Millions October rules changes to increase jackpots, but it's fair to say the first jackpot run under the new rules exceeded their wildest expectations.
When Mega Millions changed its number matrix and prize structure in October, Texas Lottery executive director Gary Grief said, "We think that players will respond favorably to the new Mega Millions changes and expect even greater sales for the game." (See Tickets for updated Mega Millions game on sale Saturday, Lottery Post, October 18, 2013.)
What an understatement!
The official jackpot estimate for tonight's Mega Millions drawing has been raised for the second time in two days, due to heavy demand for the mind-blowing jackpot.
As of Tuesday morning, the estimated annuity jackpot for the Tuesday, December 17, 2013, Mega Millions jackpot is $636 million, with a lump-sum cash value of $341.2 million.
The increase propells tonight's jackpot total to the second-highest lottery jackpot in world history, and only $20 million shy of the all-time record $656 million jackpot, set in March of 2012 by the Mega Millions game.
But what if nobody wins the jackpot tonight?
Lottery officials have estimated that the starting jackpot estimate would be $950 million, with a cash option of $509.6 million.
Translation: We will see the world's first $1 billion lottery jackpot.
According to the Maryland Lottery, Mega Millions tickets in Maryland alone are being sold today at the rate of 101 tickets per second — 6,041 per minute. The state is estimating that Maryland Lottery retailers will go through approximately 2016 rolls of paper for this particular drawing. At 4,000 tickets per roll, that's a lot of tickets.
The rush of people trying to check their numbers on the Internet tonight will likely have most Web sites swamped. Players are encouraged to check their numbers at USA Mega (www.usamega.com), which tends to survive incredible traffic volumes better than most state lottery Web sites.
"Players checking online should hang in there and refresh their Web browser every so often until they get through to the site," said Todd Northrop, founder of Lottery Post and USA Mega. "The rush of traffic happens right at 11:00 Eastern Time, so waiting a half hour or so before checking the numbers will probably be easiest."
In the meantime, lottery players dreaming about what $636 million means to them after taxes have been withheld can check USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis page, which provides the information for each individual state.
VIDEO: Northrop featured on CNN's New Day program
Lottery Post founder Todd Northrop was featured on CNN's early morning New Day program in a segment discussing the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 2nd-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
- Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
- The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
- Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
- Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
- Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
- The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
- Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
- Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 26, 2002 - West Virgina
- Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
- 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 4th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
- Mega Millions: $341.2 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
- Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
- Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
- Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
- Mega Millions: $194.4. million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
- The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $177.3 million cash, Feb. 18, 2006 ($365 million annuity) - Nebraska
- Mega Millions: $168 million cash, July 2, 2004 ($294 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Mega Millions: $167.7 million cash, Feb. 22, 2008 ($275 million annuity) - Georgia
- Powerball: $166 million cash, Aug. 25, 2001 ($295 million annuity) - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $165.2 million cash, May 4, 2010 ($266 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $164.4 million cash, won Oct. 19, 2005 ($340 million annuity) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $164 million cash, Feb. 28, 2006 ($270 million annuity) - Ohio
- Powerball: $161.5 million cash, July 29, 1998 ($295.7 million annuity) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $156.1 million cash, Sept. 16, 2005 ($258 million annuity) - New Jersey
Woo Hoo $636 million.....![Banana Banana](/emoticons/banana.gif)
![Dance Dance](/emoticons/dance.gif)
![White Bounce White Bounce](/emoticons/white.gif)
Holy <snip>.
75 white balls.. Really.. This is going to be cray cray if this jackpot don't go toinght. They knew it would roll this high when they changed the balls to 75 white balls. There are only 15 red, but you still have to get 5/75 and the matching red ball to boot. Yikes!
I can't stop grinning.
I'm going to try this one more time, lol.![Party Party](/emoticons/party.gif)
I bought a ticket for last Friday, "not one number".
WTG @ Todd![Banana Banana](/emoticons/banana.gif)
Good Luck.
Holy Mega Millions Batman
My thoughts exactly
![Big Smile Big Smile](/emoticons/smiley4.gif)
HaHa. You sound like us at 1:00.
Right. Suckers out there pluncking down $50, $100, $200-plus for tickets chasing this pipe dream. I'll buy my usual three with MP to be 'in the game', but this is looking like bad reality TV right now.
if not hit tonight they will have to call it "Mega Billions" lol
May have to go out and buy my second $1.00 after all...![Smiley Smiley](/emoticons/smile.gif)
To say this is exciting is an under statement!!!!!!!! I have no doubt there will be one Winner!!!!!!! I dont think it will be tonight. I think I will win it on Friday. I have my 31 page plan laid out. Just need the transfer of funds to hit. Wont actually claim it until late February or early March.....lol
Here we go folks!
I want to bring this home for Pennsylvania's first big win in Mega Millions!
I find it comical that the mega millions people are saying this has exceeded their wildest expectations. I call Bull on that. They knew exactly what would happen: a billion dollar jackpot, so I don't know why they acting surprised.
Ready to win the Mega Millions ....................ready to make several phone calls .............
I can see myself winning the lottery ............Will share with families , friends , and charities ......
I spent four bucks. My usual numbers with MP and two quick picks from random lotto machines. (They don't offer MP in the machine since they are greedy in Illinois and had to add their stupid Hit Or Miss game taking up that slot.)
I hope I hit and if I do I'm collecting tomorrow and making the rounds on every single media outlet that would have me say horrible things instead of the usual nonsend how you're going to help charity and how you may keep your job. I'm not even going to hold back, Katie will be pressing the bleep button every other word. If I win then you win as you'll be amused if nothing else.
Amazing. Incredible that 70% of combinations will be drawn, most likely tonight. I hope that tonight's drawing is so obscured, we get another roll. That will be so exciting.
Todd, nice way to describe the odds lol. That's so true!
horrific advice todd to urge players to buy mega millions tickets for holiday presents as you did on cnn today. what if you bought a ticket as a present for someone and they won and gave you an extremely token amount or nothing. how would you feel. better off keeping all ticket purchases for yourself and then sharing after. makes more sense to give someone a fruitcake rather than a mega millions ticket. more likely scenario is that someone gets the paltry million (2nd place prize) on a gift ticket. how much then do they reward the giver. it can defintely ruin the relationship you have with that person. the receiver has to struggle with deciding how much and the giver will always figure he deserves more. just hang on to your tickets people, they are not a viable "gift" on any level.
Recyle centers will be buzzing with shopping carts full of empty beer cans>>> cashing in to buy MEGA Tickets!!!
I totally agree. I don't give kids basketballs because I wouldn't want them becoming really good at the sport and possibly one day cashing in as a first round lottery pick in the NBA and not remembering me when that happens.
Wow, you sound like somebody who would be really happy if their best friend won...
$636M+![White Bounce White Bounce](/emoticons/white.gif)
If i gave them as a gift, yopu BETTER BELIEVE that I also would have the same numbers on a ticket for myself. This actually happened in Ky when the PB jackpot was about 125 million. A guy gave his co worker 2.00 to buy him 2 quickpicks and one of them won the whole thing. I don't think he ever gave her the million he promised her.
Wow!
Not surprised at how big this jackpot is (new matrix makes winning this on par with getting hit by lightning as you're picking a 4-leaf clover while petting a unicorn).
What surprises me is that this is the 2nd highest jackpot, but the cash value for it is over $100 million less than the highest.
Mar. 30, 2012 $656 million -- cash value $471M
Dec. 17, 2013 $636 million -- cash value $341.2M
50/50 split has a funny way of shutting everybody up.
These insane dollar-amount figures drive many usually clear-headed people into acting something other than their typical selves.
As far as Todd going on CNN and saying what he did, he has a business to run and this is good for business. I say this without judgement. It is what it is and right now this is about the hype and the promotion and the sales and the number of site 'hits'. For everyone involved in this, right down to the Mom & Pop corner stores selling tickets.
If we're spending even a buck on this we're all part of the circus, but if you're out there spending half your weekly paycheck chasing this thing down, you're part of the clown-act of said circus. And, you're a sucker to boot.
It's all about the hype. Simply advertising a cash jackpot of over $300 million isn't enough. They have to inflate it by nearly 100% with a fictitious annuity that virtually nobody takes, and they're desperately hoping for an excuse to call this drawing a new record when they'll be lucky if it's 3/4 of what they gave away just under 2 years ago.
$636M? I think I'm going to burst!!
I was in the store playing Cash 3 when the screen for Mega Millions switch from $586 to $636 million.
Yeah, when MM changed the odds, they also made another sneaky change which was the extension of the annuity to 30 years. It weakens the cash value considerably relative to the advertised jackpot. I think many lotteries are moving to 30 year annuities though. Even in California, the SuperLotto Plus is now paid out in 30 years.
They're probably not stretching that too much.
Before the change, they were probably cautiously optimistic. Nobody knows for sure exactly how people would react to the new MM game/matrix. In fact, lots of people were down on it and saying they weren't going to play and that it would fail. I gave it a chance. And as it turns out, sales were actually a bit up compared to before the change.
But they had a bit of luck too with this first run. And Powerball stayed relatively low and reset to $40M 3 times during the run up. That leaves more money for players to dump on the soaring MM JP. Also, to get to this point, MM had to survive over $650M in total accumulated sales, more than twice the 259M odds of the game. That bit of luck is what gets us here, 1 draw away from a $1 Billion JP.
But that luck is running out, likely tonight.
Got my numbers and I'm ready for the draw! Woo-hoo!!!!
I'd almost like to see it roll, just to see the numbers.![Crazy Crazy](/emoticons/crazy.gif)
Single Winner right here![Smile](/emoticons/smiley1.gif)
![Big Grin Santa](/emoticons/biggrinsanta.gif)
Good Luck to everyone![Lep](/emoticons/lep.gif)
How many combinations are in Mega Millions?
"As of Tuesday morning, the estimated annuity jackpot for the Tuesday, December 17, 2013, Mega Millions jackpot is $636 million, with a lump-sum cash value of $341.2 million."
And after Uncle Sam dips his hand into your pockets....expect to receive less than 35% of the lump sum option !!! WOOO HOOO...GOOD OLE US of A !!!
MF'ers (lol)
I bought 2 so far..if I am lucky I will win ..No point in buying in multitudes..
The odds on the jackpot: 258,890,850 total combos/chances
Someone's gonna hit it tonight. I guess I'll cave in and play $1.
Oh my god, was that Alex Jones?
Did alex jones just say he wants to think about gift giving, while a shark is gnawing on his leg while at the same time being tasered on the butt by a leprachaun in a santa claus costume?
Someone's math is off.
After Uncle Sam takes his unfair share, you will have about 33% (more or less) of the ANNUITY amount, but you will have 60% of the CASH LUMP SUM amount. Uncle Sam maxes out at 39.6. A good tax attorney will make your share larger, but a state tax will take their unfair share, too, if you live in one of THOSE states.
Possible Mega Millions can still roll.
With the Jackpot this "Big"
I'm renting ($6) my dreams of "what if" Until the drawing........
"Hoping my long shot comes in"
One jackpot winner.......Michigan! !
I'm a Mega-Tard
I bought 13![Party Party](/emoticons/party.gif)
I'm a bigger one then, I bought 40....lol
Wouldn't it be funny if they raised it to 666 million. .....lol
800 Million will be NICE!![Noel](/emoticons/noel.gif)
800+ if it rolls
I think that dog is more excited then you are.
I have one ticket and while I was out, I bought two more with megaplier. I asked the clerk how the mega millions sales were going and she laughed and said that was all she was selling today and that it is crazy! I hope my little $5 investment pays.![Blue Angel Blue Angel](/emoticons/Angel_anim.gif)
Good Luck everyone!
What a nice CHRISTmas gift this would be.
So how many MM did you buy?
I thought about that as well. Would have been an interesting marketing ploy to say the least....
Hey now, don't mess with the little doggie. Ain't she cute?![Razz Razz](/emoticons/tongue.gif)
Imagine if the person who possessed the winning ticket for $666,000,000.00 was superstitous and wouldn't claim it because of the "666"
There's a suburb of Toledo that has 666 for the first three of their phone numbers. I always laugh when i drive through there cuz some of the churches have 666 for their phone numbers.
Sales are projected at 319.5, say 320 million. That gives roughly 71% chance of there being at least one winner tonight, and 57% chance of only one winner. Friday's projected sales are about 537 million (87% chance of at least one winner, 42% chance of only one) so rollover to Christmas Eve is unlikely.