Updated annuity and cash jackpot final tallies, and location winning ticket was sold
By Todd Northrop
After a run of 26 drawings without a jackpot winner, the 27th drawing of the multi-state Mega Millions game produced a single $516 million winner last night when one lottery ticket sold in Pennsylvania matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball.
The winner will now have to choose between being paid $516 million in 30 annually-increasing payments over 29 years or the lump-sum cash value of $349.3 million.
According to USA Mega's Mega Millions Jackpot Analysis, after all taxes are paid, the winner either will receive $310.3 million by the end of 29 years, or $209.4 million in cash all at once.
The massive Mega Millions haul is the 18th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 15th-largest cash value ever awarded. (See full top-25 list below.)
The ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven at 2760 Trenton Road in Levittown, which is Northeast of Philadelphia in Bucks County. The store will get a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
It's the third, and largest, Mega Millions jackpot won in Pennsylvania since the state joined the game in 2010. A Pittsburgh man won a $149 million prize on May 20, 2014, and a $153 million jackpot was won on July 21, 2015, by a Virginia truck driver while on his route in Pennsylvania.
The Mega Millions winning numbers for Friday, May 21, 2021, were: 6, 9, 17, 18, and 48, with Mega Ball number 8. The Megaplier was 3.
Fortunately, even if you didn't win the jackpot, the Mega Millions game still offers another 8 ways to win lower-tier prizes.
But unfortunately, not a single ticket won the second prize of $1 million.
53 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Mega Ball and won $10,000. Of those tickets, 10 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $30,000, and 9 were sold in California, where the prize was $6,665 this drawing.
Unlike all the other Mega Millions states, California awards all prizes 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.
In total, more than 1.7 million tickets won prizes across the game's nine prize tiers in Friday's drawing. Apart from the jackpot, there were more than $9.7 million in prizes awarded last night.
A complete list of payouts for all prizes and the official drawing video can be found at USA Mega's Mega Millions Drawing Information page, as well as at Lottery Post's Mega Millions Prize Payouts page.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million.
With the jackpot being won Friday, the next Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate is reset to its starting point of $20 million.
Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 45 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.
The Mega Millions winning numbers are published at USA Mega (www.usamega.com) minutes after the drawing takes place.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Friday's $515 million Mega Millions jackpot stands as the 18th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States.
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
- Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 (22 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 (34 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $522 million, Jun. 7, 2019 (24 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $516 million, May 21, 2021 (26 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Pennsylvania
- Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $456.7 million, Mar. 17, 2018 (19 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $451 million, Jan. 5, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 (12 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 (18 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Indiana
- Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 (18 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - 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
The Friday Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the 15th-largest cash value in US history.
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $476.9 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
- 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: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Mega Millions: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $319.9 million cash, Jun. 9, 2020 ($414 million annuity) - Arizona
- Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $281.9 million cash, Jan. 5, 2018 ($451 million annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $276.5 million cash, Jan. 29, 2020 ($396.9 million annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $273.9 million cash, Mar. 17, 2018 ($456.7 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 14
- Mega Millions: 11
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lucky, can we get 10% for the big guy?
Yep, once again rigged to let people east of the Mississippi River win.
Take the lump sum and invest it yourself, you'll come away with much more
There goes the number 27. 27 is a key number. if anyone knows gematria, then it's a common number. I wonder if it was in the Philadelphia region or out west some place.
Agreed. ty, a lot of people don't. I resell products and would have different ideas to do with it. invest in the interest too. never have to work again.
Yup you have to be smart with the money. Most lottery players don't have that smart with the money background.
I didn't win this Mega Millions jackpot, a big disappointment.
Too bad that the jackpot won wasn't shared between two different states ticket holders. Anyhow, I'm bewildered that not even three tickets sold across the states in this country won the second place prize with 3X megaplier. It would have been enough for a person to retire and live comfortably off an established strong ETF's high interest return until 100+ years old!
Time to play PB now that MM jackpot has been won.
???????
"winning numbers for Friday, May 21, 2021, were: 6, 9, 17, 18, and 48, with Mega Ball number 8."
I think the comment was referring to this being the 27th drawing, and that turned out to be the lucky one. They did not mean that 27 was one of the winning numbers. They did not make that very clear, so I can see why you were confused....lol.
But do the numbered ping pong balls know Gematria?
Oh, how many huge jackpots were won on the 27th drawing?
"But do the numbered ping pong balls know Gematria?"
The balls may not be the dumbest things on the planet, but they're pretty dumb and there's extremely little that they know.
"Oh, how many huge jackpots were won on the 27th drawing?"
Whether you qualify the question with "huge" or not, the answer is one. Of course the nature of counting probably means that a bunch of other numbers are at least as common as 27.