12th-largest US lottery jackpot in history; 15th-largest cash value

By Todd Northrop

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

For only the 12th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot has exceeded $600 million.

The new high-water mark of $630 million for the current Mega Millions jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Tuesday night's $555 million grand prize.

The lump-sum cash payout value of Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is a staggering $359.7 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.

Friday's mammoth jackpot is the result of 27 consecutive draws without a winner.  The run-up started as a $20 million prize on April 19.

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 Tuesday, July 19, 2022 were 2, 31, 32, 37, and 70, with Mega Ball number 25.  The Megaplier number was 3.

Even though nobody won the jackpot Tuesday, 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Arizona, 1 from California, 1 from North Carolina, and 1 from New Hampshire. None of the second prize winners purchased the Megaplier for an additional $1. If they had, their prize would have been multiplied to $3 million.

The California second-prize winner will take home a $629,182 prize, because California does not pay out fixed prizes like all the other states. 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.

All Mega Millions jurisdictions except 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.

Also, a total of 52 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 11 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $30,000, and 8 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $10,896.

The complete payout information and official drawing video for Tuesday's drawing can be found at USA Mega's Mega Millions Drawing Information page.

Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $75 million from its previous amount of $555 million. The cash value was raised by $42.8 million from its previous amount of $316.9 million.

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

To find the nearest lottery retailer to buy your tickets, head over to the Lottery Places website to download the free app on your iOS or Android phone or Windows computer. Lottery Places is the only app on the market that will locate lottery retailers in every state and jurisdiction throughout the United States.

Some state lotteries offer online ticket purchases, allowing players to bypass the store completely. Such is the case with Michigan and Virginia. Other states such as Minnesota, Orgeon, and Texas use a state-licensed courier service to enable online purchases. Players outside the USA can play online through a reputable butler service that delivers scanned images of the lottery tickets to verify the ticket purchase and ownership.

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.

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.

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

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 12th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 5th-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever.  Brisk sales will likely push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

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

1. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
3. Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
4. Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
5. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
6. Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
7. Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
8. Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
9. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
10. Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
11. Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
12. Mega Millions: $630 million, Jul. 22, 2022 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
13. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
14. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
15. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
16. Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
17. Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 (22 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
18. Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 (34 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Indiana
19. Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
20. Mega Millions: $522 million, Jun. 7, 2019 (24 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
21. Mega Millions: $516 million, May 21, 2021 (26 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Pennsylvania
22. Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
23. Powerball: $473.1 million, Apr. 27, 2022 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Arizona
24. Powerball: $456.7 million, Mar. 17, 2018 (19 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Pennsylvania
25. Mega Millions: $451 million, Jan. 5, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Florida

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

• Powerball: 14
• Mega Millions: 11

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 15th-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: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
3. Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
4. Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
5. Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
6. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
7. Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
8. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
9. Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
10. Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
11. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
12. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
13. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
14. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
15. Mega Millions: $359.7 million cash, Jul. 22, 2022 ($630 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
16. Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
17. Mega Millions: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
18. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
19. Powerball: $341.7 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
20. Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
21. Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
22. Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
23. Mega Millions: $319.9 million cash, Jun. 9, 2020 ($414 million annuity) - Arizona
24. Mega Millions: $314.4 million cash, Sep. 21, 2021 ($431 million annuity) - New York
25. Mega Millions: $292.9 million cash, Jan. 28, 2022 ($426 million annuity) - California

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

• Powerball: 12
• Mega Millions: 13