5th-largest lottery jackpot in world history
Cash value is $568.7 million
By Todd Northrop
For the fourth time in the past two years a lottery jackpot has crossed into billion-dollar territory.
Last night nobody won the Mega Millions multi-state lottery drawing, triggering another jackpot rollover that created a Tuesday jackpot estimated at $1.1 billion with a cash value of $568.7 million.
Based on past multi-state lottery jackpots, that estimate may get a lot bigger by the time the drawing kicks off Tuesday night, as people dreaming of becoming the next billionaire cause lottery ticket sales go through the roof.
To get to this massive size, the jackpot has been growing since it started on October 18 as a $20 million prize — now 24 consecutive drawings without a winner.
Tuesday's billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot is the 3rd-largest in the game's history, and the 5th-largest lottery jackpot in world history among all lottery games. The largest lottery jackpot ever won was just two months ago, on Nov. 7, 2022, when one ticket sold in California matched all six numbers in a $2.0401 billion Powerball drawing. That prize has not yet been claimed.
Tuesday's lump-sum cash value of $568.7 million is the 6th-largest on the all-time lottery jackpot cash value rankings (see full list below).
Lottery players dreaming 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 Mega Millions Jackpot Analysis page. The Jackpot Analysis page was updated last week with the new 2023 state tax rates.
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 Tuesday. Lottery Post and USA Mega will update the jackpot tallies displayed if such an increase occurs.
The quickest way to find the winning numbers after the drawing Tuesday will be by visiting USA Mega (www.usamega.com) at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific), when the winning numbers will be published live as they are drawn.
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.
In Friday night's Mega Millions drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 5 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Florida, 1 from Maryland, 1 from New Jersey, and 2 from New York.
None of the second-prize tickets was purchased with the Megaplier option for an extra $1 per play, which would have tripled the prize to $3 million, since the Megaplier number drawn was 3.
The only state not offering the Megaplier option is 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.
A total of 115 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 15 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $30,000, and 9 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $16,259.
The Mega Millions winning numbers for Friday, January 6, 2023, were 3, 20, 46, 59, and 63, with Mega Ball number 13. The Megaplier number was 3.
Following the Friday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $160 million from its previous amount of $940 million. The cash value was raised by $82.7 million from its previous amount of $486 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 Tuesdays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 5th-largest lottery jackpot in world history. That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- 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: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $1.1 billion, Jan. 10, 2023 (24 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- 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: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- 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: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
- 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
- Mega Millions: $502 million, Oct. 14, 2022 (21 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Florida
- 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 6th-largest cash value in world history.
- Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
- 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: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $568.7 million cash, Jan. 10, 2023 ($1.1 billion annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $477 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: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- 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: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($648 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $341.7 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
- 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
The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 13
- Mega Millions: 12
Mega has had the most billion jkpots
still playing same nbr for 24 yrs
let's see if we get to 1.5
It will be hit by Fri.
why do I get the impression that we'll see another $2 billion dollar snafu ??
Notice how it seems they haven't been 'sweetening' the pot by adding in a few more million day of drawing.
Played European lottery #'s and 13 came up. Won $12.
"May" get tempted to play Just the Jackpot again in the very near future, not that good of a deal with zero payout if you don't have all six #'s.
wonder why?
Text my bride of 11+ yrs ....." Hey wanna grab a couple of MM tickets while you are out and about ? It will only cost $4".......Her reply, " It will cost you $7, which includes my service charge, if I can fit it into my busy schedule"..........WTH ????
We settled on $6
Good luck to us all
* All the only States that always win" FL, NY, NJ, CA" won 2nd prizes last night, with the exception of CA. The math remains : A member of the Gang of four will take it home.
No. I am not in those four states. But wth, gonna buy a few tix and see what happnes.
I can't believe another billion dollar jackpot. I wonder how much higher it will go. I'm currently doing a study on MM numbers using Lottery Post quick picks vs terminal quick picks. I have only 4 more draws to go before I'm ready to publish the results. I wonder if one of those will win.
I plan to get some other tickets as well.
Good luck to everyone!
I'm with you. I'm not in one of those states either, but I'm still playing. There's always hope.
Megabillions! It would be nice to see a LP member be the first billion dollar jackpot winner of 2023. Good luck players!
* Yeah, we both know: The truth hurts!" Why so serious when l am simply stating the obvious?
I love when its lotto fever time. Went to store and seen everyone buying tickets. Good luck to all LP members playing.
Looking at the Todd-O-Stats this will probably go at least 5 more rolls.
Then it will be 2bil
I have to get work done on my truck. So, I've already bought 5 QPs for Tuesday. Good luck to all playing on Tuesday!
Me!
From a population stand point, it makes sense.
I buy one play every draw for MM (w/ Megaplier). Now that I'm back trucking, I'm adding Powerball. If pots are big enough, I'll play the state games. I bought a Hoosier Lotto, and a Lotto America ticket. Lotto America is high enough to take a chance on the RNG. (Currently, $34 million)
Do you play in multiple states? When I get a chance to cross state lines. One weekend, I played in Idaho and Colorado in addition to my home state. Didn't win, but it was fun.
* If you referring to my post, of course it make sense. We would all agree that in Mike Tyson's or Ali's prime, just about every challenger was in for a rough night the minute he stepped into the ring, with a very few exceptions. That principle applies to this Billion jackpot here as well.
More money is going to be poured into Tuesdays jackpot from those 4 States than many others combined.
It not really the Jackpot has crossed into the billion territory,for cash is between 330 and 358 millions,annuity is 650 millions.I don't know why everybody say billion,billion,is still far far away from billion ok. Be honest !!!
Maybe try Quick-Pick (Or Lucky Dip as we call it in the UK) this time.
It may work.
I've even heard stories of people who ditch their regular numbers for a Quick Pick and end up winning.
Yeah.
Whatever happened to Lottery fever triggering whenever the PowerBall or Mega Millions reached the half-billion mark or the individual State Lotto drawings (The 6-number Jackpot game) reached a significant amount. (For example, Florida Lotto reaching $100 million in the early 90s or Super Lotto Plus (Which is similar to PowerBall and Mega Millions but with better odds) in California reaching nearly $150 million or the fictional Springfield Lottery on The Simpsons hitting $130 million on the Dog of Death episode)
Exactly!
Can remember years ago on LP first time one of those guys got super high and there was over 600 comments. Now we're lucky to get 30.
1 Billion is now for amateurs. 3 Billion is the new fever pitch level.
If you read the list of winning states, you would know CA, FL, NJ and NY are not the only states that always win the big MM and PB jackpots. There are a lot other states that win also. AZ, NH, and MD have won several times. CA has won the most jackpots because they have the most lottery vending machines in more locations than any other state in the country.
U right bcuz comments here were high when it reached 1.5
now, some don't even bother if it's less than that, how funny