16th-largest U.S. cash value jackpot of all time

By Todd Northrop

The multi-state Mega Millions lottery game continued its months-long climb Tuesday night, and has finally breached the $300-million mark.

After nobody won Tuesday night's grand prize, the Mega Millions jackpot grew to an estimated $310 million — the largest since a $326 million Mega Millions jackpot was won by a retired New York principal on Nov. 4, 2014.  (See Retired NY principal claims $326M lottery jackpot, Lottery Post, Jan. 12, 2015.) 

The lump-sum cash value rose to a massive $211.1 million — the 16th-largest U.S. lottery cash value in history.

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is the accumulation of 28 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner. The current jackpot run-up started on March 11 as a $15 million grand prize — it has been more than three months since Mega Millions has had a jackpot winner.

The last big Mega Millions winner was Michael Burkett of Washington state, who claimed a $157 million jackpot in the March 8 Mega Millions drawing.  (See Washington Mega Millions winner claims $157 million jackpot, Lottery Post, Mar. 25, 2016.)

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

Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs. Occasionally the official jackpot estimate is raised even before the drawing, due to larger-than-expected sales.

In Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 1 lucky player from California matched the first 5 numbers, winning the second prize of $814,806.  All the other jurisdiction that offer Mega Millions pay a fixed $1 million second prize amount, but in California all prizes are awarded 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.

Another 60 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $5,000 prize. Of those tickets, 4 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $25,000, and 6 were sold in California, where the prize is worth $7,230 this drawing.

The Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, June 14, 2016, were 36, 37, 38, 52, and 62, with Mega Ball number 6. The Megaplier number was 5.

Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $17 million from its previous amount of $293 million. The cash value was raised by $12.9 million, from its previous amount of $198.2 million. 

Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 44 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.

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

Top 25 United States cash value jackpots of all time

Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 16th-largest lottery cash value jackpot of all time in the United States. 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.

1. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
3. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
4. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
5. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
6. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
7. Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
8. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
9. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
10. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
11. Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
12. Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
13. Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
14. Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
15. Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
16. Mega Millions: $211.1 million cash, Jun. 17, 2016 ($310 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
17. Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
18. Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
19. Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
20. Mega Millions: $197.5 million cash, Nov. 4, 2014 ($321 million annuity) - New York
21. Powerball: $197.4 million cash, Sep. 30, 2015 ($310.5 million annuity) - Michigan
22. Mega Millions: $194.4 million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
23. Powerball: $191.9 million cash, Mar. 2, 2016 ($291.4 million annuity) - Florida
24. Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
25. The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan

The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 13
• Mega Millions: 11
• The Big Game: 1

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.