By Todd Northrop
A rush of ticket sales for the rocketing Mega Millions jackpot has prompted lottery officials to revise their estimate for the Friday night drawing to $445 million.
The all-important lump-sum cash value is now estimated to be a staggering $277.6 million — propelling it to the thirteenth-largest cash value offered by any lottery game in US history.
Friday's drawing will be the 24th since Mega Millions had a winner. The current run-up started as a $15 million jackpot on Oct. 17, 2017 — the last time a Mega Millions jackpot was established under the old game rules. It is the fourth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the 13th-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
With the Powerball jackpot for Saturday, Jan. 6 now at $550 million, the combined total of the two jackpots is $995 million, making it the third-largest combined total for the two games.
It is the first time in history that two lottery games have simultaneously been greater than $400 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.
Also, lottery players are urged to download the free Lottery Places app (available on iOS, Android, and Windows), which finds the nearest official lottery retailers, either to your current location or to another location that you specify. The app can find retailers right over the border or just around the corner.
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 302.5 million. The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are 1 in 24.
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.
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.
Many states also offer a Just the Jackpot option, which gives two separate chances to win only the jackpot prize for $3.
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 $2 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 13th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. The current Powerball jackpot is also highlighted.
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 - Massachusetts
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $550 million, Jan. 6, 2018 - Initial estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Indiana
- Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 - California
- Mega Millions: $445 million, Jan. 5, 2018 - Initial estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 - Indiana
- Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
- Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
- Powerball: $420.9 million, Nov. 26, 2016 - Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
- Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $393 million, Aug. 11, 2017 - Illinois
- 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
For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 16
- Mega Millions: 8
- 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.
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: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- 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: $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: $347.9 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($550 million annuity) - Initial estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $277.6 million cash, Jan. 5, 2018 ($445 million annuity) - Initial estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
- Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $254.7 million cash, Nov. 26, 2016 ($420.9 million annuity) - Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $246.5 million cash, Aug. 11, 2017 ($393 million annuity) - Illinois
- 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
- Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
- Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
- 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
The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 16
- Mega Millions: 9
Holy Guacamole! People are going nuts with these jackpots! $995M in combined Jackpots for this weekend! WOW!
I think Todd et al will keep busy updating their chart before too long. Keep safe in that huge snowstorm and stay warm.
A Nice Tidy Sum!
All of those LP Members who have been predicting a combo of ONE BILLION Dollars will soon be correct.
The Lottery Organizations who have engineered this are hoping for a billion dollar jackpot in each game. If that happens we will see Priests and Nuns in line for their tickets. Would the President play also?
This is the best time for an LP Member to win.
"Would the President play also?"
Maybe or maybe not, but if he does I'm sure he'll be tweeting that his numbers are the best.
Trump has bought lottery tickets in the past with HUGE jackpots. He's no fool.
Meh, Powerball is more
I bought one MM and one PB ticket today. I usually don't play those games, but I did want to contribute to "jackpot fatigue". Just trying to do my part to get the lottery to improve the odds of winning!
And if I win, I'll have plenty of money to live on plus I can start an airline!
If he does, and doesn't win, he'll claim it was "rigged".
Or, that there was collusion involved....
Are you guys playing both the mega millions and powerball? I'm thinking of just playing the powerball since it's higher but may play both.
A resounding YES. Won $12 on Powerball last night and a card for my retirement had MM in it and won $6 on it. Played three PB/PP and three MM/MP.
I looked @ my Massachusetts Season Tickets and they don't start until next week, otherwise I might not play anymore in Kentucky.
So here l were, standing in line this afternoon, waiting to check my losing tickets, and this guy says to the person next to him.." Something in the way these jackpots move, attracts me like no other lover. "
..and l'm thinking, l've heard that line before, and then it hit me l turned to this guy and said, ingenious! Can you identify the original line?
Yes, us guys and gals are playing both the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots. We don't shrink back in the face of overwhelming odds.
Seen the movie 300? That's us, the 300!
'Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other' I believe that how that Beatles song went.