4th-largest US lottery jackpot in history; 7th-largest cash value

By Todd Northrop

There are going to be a lot of lottery tickets sold this week.

For only the 5th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot has grown to more than $600 million.

The new high-water mark of $654 million for the current Mega Millions jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Friday night's $548 million grand prize.

The lump-sum cash payout value of Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot is $372.6 million.  After-tax cash and annuity prize amounts are reported state-by-state on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Mega Millions and Powerball multi-state lottery games.

There is only one Mega Millions jackpot that has ever grown larger than this one: A then-record $656 million grand prize drawing on March 30, 2012, when three tickets from Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland split the winnings.  The Kansas and Maryland winners claimed their shares anonymously, and an Illinois couple claimed the final third of the massive payout.

Tuesday's mammoth jackpot is the result of 23 consecutive draws without a winner.  The run-up started as a $40 million prize on July 27.

Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs.

The winning numbers for Friday, October 12, 2018 were 4, 24, 46, 61, and 70, with Mega Ball number 7.  The Megaplier number was 3.

Even though nobody won the jackpot Friday, 1 lucky player from Arkansas matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize. But because that player also purchased the Megaplier option for an additional $1, their payout will be multiplied to $3 million.

All Mega Millions jurisdictions exception California offer the Megaplier option, which for an extra $1 per play multiplies any non-jackpot prizes the player wins by the Megaplier number drawn.  The Megaplier is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered with the Megaplier is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts.  By law, California awards all lottery prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold within California and the number of tickets that won at each prize level in the state.

Also, a total of 55 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 7 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $30,000, and 6 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $16,125.

Following the Friday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $106 million from its previous amount of $548 million. The cash value was raised by $63.4 million from its previous amount of $309.2 million.

The next Mega Millions drawing will take place Tuesday night at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific).

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 $2 each.

Mega Millions lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com).  The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Mega Millions.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 4th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 2nd-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever.  Brisk sales will likely push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

If nobody wins Tuesday, it's anyone's guess how high it will go.

1. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 - Massachusetts
3. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
4. Mega Millions: $654 million, Oct. 16, 2018 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
5. Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
6. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
7. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
8. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
9. Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 - New Hampshire
10. Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 - California
11. Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Indiana
12. Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 - New Jersey
13. Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 - New Hampshire
14. Powerball: $456.7 million, Mar. 17, 2018 - Pennsylvania
15. Mega Millions: $451 million, Jan. 5, 2018 - Florida
16. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
17. Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 - California
18. Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 - Indiana
19. Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
20. Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
21. Powerball: $420.9 million, Nov. 26, 2016 - Tennessee
22. Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
23. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
24. Mega Millions: $393 million, Aug. 11, 2017 - Illinois
25. Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey

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

• Powerball: 15
• Mega Millions: 10

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 7th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

1. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
3. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
4. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
5. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
6. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
7. Mega Millions: $372.6 million cash, Oct. 16, 2018 ($654 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
8. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
9. Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
10. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
11. Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
12. Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
13. Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
14. Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
15. Mega Millions: $281.9 million cash, Jan. 5, 2018 ($451 million annuity) - Florida
16. Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
17. Powerball: $273.9 million cash, Mar. 17, 2018 ($456.7 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
18. Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
19. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
20. Powerball: $254.7 million cash, Nov. 26, 2016 ($420.9 million annuity) - Tennessee
21. Mega Millions: $246.5 million cash, Aug. 11, 2017 ($393 million annuity) - Illinois
22. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
23. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
24. Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
25. Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California

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

• Powerball: 14
• Mega Millions: 11