Cash value leaps to 5th-largest ever

Update: Top-25 cash value list updated to include current Powerball jackpot; bumps The Big Game off the list

By Todd Northrop

A rush of ticket sales for the half-billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot has prompted lottery officials to revise their estimate for the Friday night drawing to $540 million.

The all-important lump-sum cash value is now estimated to be a staggering $380 million — propelling it to the fifth-largest cash value offered by any lottery game in US history, and just a few million from becoming the third-largest of all time.

Friday's drawing will be the 35th since Mega Millions had a winner — the longest rollover stretch in the game's history. Since the last winner in March, Mega Million tickets sales have exceeded $1 billion.

Sales prior to the last drawing on Tuesday night also were higher than expected, at around $107 million. Sales were anticipated to hit $80 million.

Lottery players seeking to check the winning numbers Friday night are urged to use USA Mega (www.usamega.com). State lottery Web sites are normally sluggish or brought to a standstill during busy periods, while USA Mega normally remains responsive.

Mega Millions drawing results will be posted immediately after the 11:00 pm drawing at USA Mega. The number of winners and new jackpot will be announced after all participating states have reported their data, which normally occurs within a few hours after the drawing.

Tickets will remain on sale typically until 10:45 pm Eastern Time on Friday, although players should check with a lottery retailer in their state for the exact sales cutoff time. (Every state is different.)  Players are strongly advised not to wait until the last minute.

The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 259 million. The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are 1 in 14.7.

Mega Millions tickets cost $1 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.

The only state that does not offer the Megaplier is California, because state law banning fixed lottery prize amounts is not compatible with the fixed nature of the Megaplier payouts.

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

Mega Millions features nine different prize levels, ranging from $1 all the way up to the jackpot. Players can win even if they just match one number — the Mega Ball number.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 7th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States.

1. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
3. Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
4. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
5. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
6. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
7. Mega Millions: $540 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
8. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
9. Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
10. Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
11. Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
12. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
13. Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
14. Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
15. Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
16. The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
17. Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
18. Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
19. Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
20. Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
21. Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
22. The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
23. Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
24. Mega Millions: $321 million, Nov. 4, 2014 - New York
25. Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York

For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 13
• Mega Millions: 10
• 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 5th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

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. Mega Millions: $380 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($540 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
6. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
7. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
8. Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
9. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
10. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
11. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
12. Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
13. Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
14. Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
15. Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
16. Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
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. Powerball: $201.4 million cash, Jul. 9, 2016 ($288 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
21. Mega Millions: $197.5 million cash, Nov. 4, 2014 ($321 million annuity) - New York
22. Powerball: $197.4 million cash, Sep. 30, 2015 ($310.5 million annuity) - Michigan
23. Mega Millions: $194.4 million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
24. Powerball: $191.9 million cash, Mar. 2, 2016 ($291.4 million annuity) - Florida
25. Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California

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

• Powerball: 14
• Mega Millions: 11