14th-largest lottery jackpot in history
By Todd Northrop
The Mega Millions multi-state lottery game continued its jackpot run last night — now approaching $1 billion — when no tickets matched all six numbers.
Last night nobody won the Mega Millions lottery drawing, triggering another jackpot rollover that created a Friday jackpot estimated at $965 million with a cash value of $445.3 million.
To get to this massive size, the jackpot has been growing since it started on July 1 as a $50 million prize — now 39 consecutive drawings without a winner.
Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is the 8th-largest in the game's history, and the 14th-largest lottery jackpot in world history among all lottery games. The lump-sum cash value of $445.3 million is the 20th-largest on the all-time lottery jackpot cash value rankings (see full list below).
Players looking to calculate what they would receive after the initial federal and state tax withholdings can find it all pre-calculated for each Mega Millions jurisdiction on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lottery games.
The largest lottery jackpot ever awarded was on Nov. 7, 2022, when one Powerball ticket sold in California won a $2 billion grand prize. The incredibly lucky winner was Edwin Castro, who claimed the prize in February of 2023, providing minimal public information about himself. What little is known about Castro comes from public filings, and includes the purchases of houses one, two, and three, as well as being the subject of dubious lawsuits that are unfortunately predictable these days. (The lawsuit was thrown out last year.) One of those houses was destroyed in the 2025 Palisades fire, and Castro was later active in purchasing lots destroyed by the fire.
The rush of ticket sales over the next few days may 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.
The quickest way to find the winning numbers after the drawing Friday 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 minutes after 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. Players can see if they can play Mega Millions online by tapping the link. Depending on the physical location of the person, the link will either provide access via a licensed butler service or the official state lottery itself.
Butler services provide scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, such lottery ticket services were used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.
In Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a second-prize win: 1 from Arizona, 1 from Iowa, and 1 from New York. The ticket sold in Arizona had a 5x multiplier, awarding $5 million, while the tickets from Iowa and New York each had a 3x multiplier for a $3 million win.
A total of 27 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win prizes ranging from $20,000 to $40,000. California, which sold 5 of those winning tickets, is the only state awarding different prize amounts.
A complete list of prizes available for matching various numbers (including the unique California prize amounts) as well as the official drawing video can be found on the Mega Millions Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Mega Millions Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.
The Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, November 11, 2025, were 10, 13, 40, 42, and 46, with Mega Ball number 1.
Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $65 million from its previous amount of $900 million. The cash value was raised by $30 million from its previous amount of $415.3 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 $5 each, and all tickets include the multiplier feature, including those sold in California.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 14th-largest lottery jackpot in world history.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $1.7874 billion, Sep. 6, 2025 (41 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Missouri, Texas
- Powerball: $1.7649 billion, Oct. 11, 2023 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023 (31 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Florida
- 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: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
- Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
- Powerball: $1.3259 billion, Apr. 6, 2024 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $1.269 billion, Dec. 27, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.128 billion, Mar. 26, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $1.0798 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $965 million, Nov. 14, 2025 (39 rollovers, starting at $50 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $842.4 million, Jan. 1, 2024 (34 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $800 million, Sep. 10, 2024 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Texas
- 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: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
- 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
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 20th-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
- Powerball: $820.6 million cash, Sep. 6, 2025 ($1.7874 billion annuity) - Missouri, Texas
- Mega Millions: $794.2 million cash, Aug. 8, 2023 ($1.602 billion annuity) - Florida
- 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
- Powerball: $774.1 million cash, Oct. 11, 2023 ($1.7649 billion annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
- Powerball: $621 million cash, Apr. 6, 2024 ($1.3259 billion annuity) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $571.9 million cash, Dec. 27, 2024 ($1.269 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Mega Millions: $536.6 million cash, Mar. 26, 2024 ($1.128 billion annuity) - New Jersey
- 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
- Mega Millions: $445.3 million cash, Nov. 14, 2025 ($965 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $425.2 million cash, Jan. 1, 2024 ($842.4 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
- Mega Millions: $404.2 million cash, Sep. 10, 2024 ($800 million annuity) - Texas
- 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
The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
Lotto machine said I won $30 on MM with X3 multiplier...had it been 10X=$100. Still very happy.
KY has an offer, buy two MM tickets on Fridays in November and get a free Powerball ticket.
"The rush of ticket sales over the next few days may propel the jackpot to an even higher amount before the drawing tales place."
Now that's funny.
Ever since Mega Millions jacked up the price to $5.00, sales have crashed. There is no "rush." The last time we were around $1,000,000,000 was when the ticket cost $2.00 and they sold 100,000,000 tickets.
For Tuesday 11/11/2025 Mega Millions drawing only 19 million tickets were sold.
There won't be any rush as many people can't afford $5.00. Yes, when it reaches a real $1 billion ticket sales will jump - maybe as high as 25 to 30 million but that only covers 10% of the number combinations.
Statistically we are headed to a record jackpot over the old Powerball record of $2.04 billion back in 2022. maybe around mid to late December. Of course it can be won any time but the old record will be broken if not this cycle then in the future. They designed it this way.
If they don't get what they want, maybe it will $10.00. No one will object verbally. They just won't buy.
You're thinking in terms of number of tickets, not dollars spent. Number of tickets does not set the jackpot level, the amount spent does.
Of course they will sell fewer tickets because of the higher price. That is a given. The real analysis is how fast the jackpot grows due to dollars spent. And in that regard, I'd say it's growing slower than before.
The last time the jackpot reached $1 billion it took 30 draws to do it. This time it'll take 40 draws. So it's definitely slower. Of course there are other factors too, like time of year, the economy, etc. (There's a fantastic video that goes into all these factors affecting jackpot growth.)
So far the increased price has slowed jackpot growth, but let's see a wildly-large jackpot run first, and then watch the aftermath before declaring the ultimate market decision on the game changes.
Guess I was wrong about the promotion I mentioned; not on their website but will check again Friday.
My husband says he's playing , good luck honey.
* My thinking exactly, it's the reason l don't fall for this " l quit buying MM tickets "since they raised the price. Trash cans in stores are filled with $5 scratchers that failed to deliver. Sane people are not stupid, just saying..🤨
I get free ten cent returnable cans so will play it and then rotate back to PB when it is near a billion.
You all are Rushing into Conclusions the truth of the matter is New Mega millions is a Brand New Girlfriend And everyone is Simple easy on her. She is very Rusty at Moment True. But be patient with Her People will grow to Love 💕 her when She hits $3,000,000,000 and guess what l will win 🏆 it. And not only that l will give away $5,000 each to Twenty old timers each on Lottery Post with Cool 😎 Screen names and good Reputation 🤠🤠🍀🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐 And if l get up to 20 likes on this post l will pick one person for $100k 🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠
No mm ticket purchase from me until it reaches $1 billion. $5 a ticket is a game killer.
IDK about others but several times have asked strangers/locals if they were going to get a MM ticket. So far they've all said NO.
* They saying " No" because they not being truthful. Why? Cause they find out later that a SINGLE $5.00 QP won the $900 million jackpot. Then we get into the " l should or could've " realm of conjecture.
* Don't you know: Humans, unlike animals are habitual liars.
It's not the 5 bucks that's stopping me it's the crappieness of the game.
If it were $5 for the old 56/46 I'd play it but the current version is caca.
Maybe they will come to their senses and revert to 56/46 but I doubt it.
Michigan went from 6/40 to 44 to 47 to 49 to 51 then back to 49 and finally in 2005, I believe, back to 47 and there it has sat for 20 years.
I just looked up Castro's house near the Chateau Marmot and realized I had a relative I never met who, according to the scale on Google maps, lived 500 feet from the Chateau Marmot.
If I ever win I have done genealogy so there will be no long lost relatives 😜😉😎
* Wow, l know the truth hurts at times, but l didn't think it cuts this deep over an opinion. 😾
I have not played mm since the increase. I think $5 is ridiculous for one ticket but I do not play scratchers either. I prefer to wait for my cash 5 game to reach a certain point and the $1 is a good value. If I choose not to do something, I never think should of or could of after the fact. I am not swayed by a ridiculous long shot. The person who won was destined to win it.