$940 MILLION: Mega Millions lottery jackpot ready to make another billionaire

Jan 4, 2023, 8:09 am (44 comments)

Mega Millions

Cash value worth nearly a half-billion dollars

By Todd Northrop

Just four months after Mega Millions delivered a $1.34 billion jackpot to one ticket sold in Illinois, the multi-state lottery game came roaring back with a jackpot to be drawn Friday that could top $1 billion.

When nobody won Tuesday night's $785 million grand prize, the Mega Millions jackpot grew to an estimated $940 million — the largest since a July 30, 2022 $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot was claimed anonymously by a two Illinois lottery players who claimed the prize in a partnership.

The next Mega Millions drawing is on Friday night at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific).

Friday's $940 million Mega Millions jackpot is the 4th-largest in the game's history, and the 6th-largest United States lottery jackpot of all time (see full list below).

The lump-sum cash value of $483.5 million is the 8th-largest on the all-time US lottery jackpot cash value list.

The current jackpot run-up started on Oct. 18 as a $20 million grand prize. It is less than 3 months since Mega Millions has had a jackpot winner, when two winning tickets sold in Florida and California split a $502 million jackpot.

Lottery players wondering what all the cash will look like in their bank account after federal and state taxes are taken out can see an after-tax analysis of the current Mega Millions jackpot by visiting USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis page. Earlier this week, USA Mega updated the state tax rates on its Jackpot Analysis pages to reflect the 2023 changes that went into effect on Jan. 1.

The rush of ticket sales over the next few days likely will propel the jackpot to an even higher amount before the drawing takes place Friday. Lottery Post and USA Mega will update the jackpot tallies displayed if such an increase occurs.

In Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 6 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Arizona, 1 from Maryland, 1 from Mississippi, 1 from South Dakota, 1 from Texas, and 1 from Virginia.

Three of the six second-prize winners — those from Arizona, Mississippi, and South Dakota — purchased their tickets with the Megaplier option for an extra $1 per play, multiplying their prize to $4 million because the Megaplier number drawn was 4.

The Megaplier option 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 and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.

Also, a total of 68 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 12 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $40,000, and 11 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $9,782.

The Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, January 3, 2023, were 25, 29, 33, 41, and 44, with Mega Ball number 18. The Megaplier number was 4.

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 $155 million from its previous amount of $785 million. The cash value was raised by $79.7 million from its previous amount of $403.8 million.

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 Fridays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time.

Players looking for the nearest official lottery retailer — or maybe just a different store without such a long line — are urged to use the free Lottery Places app available for iOS, Android, and Windows. The app can find lottery stores in every Mega Millions state and can search across state lines — something even official state lotteries can't do.

Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. States that offer this ability include Colorado (Mega Millions and Powerball), Michigan (Mega Millions and Powerball), Minnesota (Mega Millions and Powerball), Oregon (Mega Millions and Powerball), Texas (Mega Millions and Powerball), and Virginia (Mega Millions and Powerball). Note that some of these links will only work properly for residents of the states mentioned.

Players outside the USA can use a reputable butler service, which provides scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, the lottery ticket service was used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.

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, Powerball and Mega Millions.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 6th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 4th-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: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
  2. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
  3. Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
  4. Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
  5. Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
  6. Mega Millions: $940 million, Jan. 6, 2023 (23 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
  7. Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
  8. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
  9. Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
  10. Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
  11. Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
  12. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
  13. Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
  14. Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
  15. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
  16. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
  17. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
  18. Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
  19. Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 (22 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
  20. Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 (34 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Indiana
  21. Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
  22. Mega Millions: $522 million, Jun. 7, 2019 (24 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
  23. Mega Millions: $516 million, May 21, 2021 (26 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Pennsylvania
  24. Mega Millions: $502 million, Oct. 14, 2022 (21 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Florida
  25. Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire

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

  • Powerball: 13
  • Mega Millions: 12

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 8th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

  1. Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
  2. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
  3. Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
  4. Mega Millions: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
  5. Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
  6. Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
  7. Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
  8. Mega Millions: $483.5 million cash, Jan. 6, 2023 ($940 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
  9. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
  10. Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
  11. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
  12. Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
  13. Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
  14. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
  15. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
  16. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
  17. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
  18. Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
  19. Mega Millions: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
  20. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($648 million annuity) - California, Georgia
  21. Powerball: $341.7 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
  22. Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
  23. Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
  24. Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
  25. Mega Millions: $319.9 million cash, Jun. 9, 2020 ($414 million annuity) - Arizona

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

  • Powerball: 13
  • Mega Millions: 12

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

wander73's avatarwander73

I didn't expect it to go to that route.  like wow.   i think that starts the record breaker next week,  or Friday nite a winning ticket in one of 6 states.

noise-gate

* The " Always Winning States" NY, NJ, FL, CA came up empty last night, even for the bridesmaid prize. Which means the eventual winner " will be" from one of those who missed out. It's simple math really!🤜

EnReval

These jackpots are no joke lately.

 

not gonna try as hard this time, just going to go with how I feel at the moment to create numbers

 

that $2bil jkpot wore me out lol

sully16's avatarsully16

Quote: Originally posted by noise-gate on Jan 4, 2023

* The " Always Winning States" NY, NJ, FL, CA came up empty last night, even for the bridesmaid prize. Which means the eventual winner " will be" from one of those who missed out. It's simple math really!🤜

I am 45 % confident it could be a Michigan winner. ME, 🤪 Good luck W.

TheMeatman2005's avatarTheMeatman2005

Here we go again!

Another BILLION DOLLAR jackpot on the horizon. 

PrisonerSix

Quote: Originally posted by sully16 on Jan 4, 2023

I am 45 % confident it could be a Michigan winner. ME, 🤪 Good luck W.

Or a Louisiana winner, like me!😀

EnReval

$1bil on Friday only need $60 mil

mightwin1's avatarmightwin1

Good luck everyone!

Oscargrouch05$

Quote: Originally posted by sully16 on Jan 4, 2023

I am 45 % confident it could be a Michigan winner. ME, 🤪 Good luck W.

If you are please keep posting numbers. Thank you!

Droptop209's avatarDroptop209

I will be content with a 2nd prize 5+0 you guys & gals can go for that top spot.

sully16's avatarsully16

Quote: Originally posted by Oscargrouch05$ on Jan 4, 2023

If you are please keep posting numbers. Thank you!

Got you covered Oscar, good luck.🍀

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by Droptop209 on Jan 4, 2023

I will be content with a 2nd prize 5+0 you guys & gals can go for that top spot.

* Aah, shucks- that's like allowing my 1987 GV Yugo to merge with traffic onto HY 880. You sweet thing.

quicksloth35

One state that has oddly been on a bit of a roll, lately, is the near-to-me,  Mississippi. Just sayin'.

 

Also, now would be an excellent time to win the "other" jackpot.

Clarkejoseph49's avatarClarkejoseph49

If it does reach a Billion Dollars, hopefully the draw don't get delayed until the following morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AGAIN!

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