COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Tuesday’s Mega Millions – the “other” large lottery jackpot up for grabs at the moment – is still going to be up for grabs on Friday with a $720 million jackpot.
The last time the Mega Millions jackpot was won was April 18.
The winning numbers drawn Tuesday were 19, 22, 31, 37, and 54 and the gold Mega Ball is 18. The Megaplier is 4X. With no matching ticket for the $640 million jackpot, its increased by another $80M.
In order to collect the full amount, the winner would need patience: the full winning jackpot of an estimated $720 million would be paid out across 30 payments over 29 years. Most winners usually opt for a one-time cash payment, estimated at $369.6 million for Friday’s drawing.
The jackpot is the fifth largest in the game’s 21-year history.
The largest Mega Millions jackpots are:
- $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018
- $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023
- $1.337 billion, July 29, 2022
- $1.050 billion, Jan. 22, 2021
- $720 million (estimated), July 21, 2023
- $656 million, March 30, 2012
- $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013
- $543 million, July 24, 2018
- $536 million, July 18, 2016
- $533 million, March 30, 2018
The chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million, but the chance of winning any of the prizes offered is 1 in 24. For the last drawing on July 14, more than 1.695 million tickets won at least $2 or more. Four tickets in the last drawing matched the five white ball, netting the holders $1 million, while one player hit the five numbers as well as the Megaplier, making the ticket worth $2 million.
The Megaplier is an optional buy-in that multiplies the winnings by that number. The Megaplier can be applied to all winnings except the jackpot.
Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays. Five white balls from 1 through 70 are drawn as is a gold Mega Ball from a set of balls numbered 1 through 25.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2 each with an optional $1 buy-in for the Megaplier.
That “other” large jackpot – Power Ball – is worth an estimated $1 billion for Wednesday’s drawing after no winners scored the jackpot in Monday’s drawing.