Lottery jackpots: Why you should keep quiet if you win
Here’s why you shouldn’t tell anyone if you win a huge lottery jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
- An estimated $1.1 billion jackpot, with a cash option of $568.7 million, is up for grabs for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing.
- Mega Millions hasn’t seen a jackpot winner since October, causing the game’s top prize to grow across 24 consecutive drawings.
- The chances of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are extremely slim, with odds standing at 1 in 302.6 million.
The jackpot will grow, America.
The Mega Millions prize has grown again to an estimated $1.35 billion after there was no winner for Tuesday’s biggest prize.
The estimated $1.35 billion jackpot prize would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all jackpot winners take a cash payout, which for Friday night’s drawing is an estimated $707.9 million.
The game’s top prize has climbed to this historic amount because no one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since October – causing the prize to grow across 25 consecutive drawings.
The chances of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are extremely slim, with the odds standing at 1 in 302.6 million.
Here’s what you need to know.
MEGA MILLIONS DRAWING TIME? Historic jackpot climbs to $1.1 billion (and counting).
WATCH THIS: Seven things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball or Mega Millions lottery
Mega Millions winning numbers for 1/10/23
The winning numbers for Tuesday night’s drawing were 7, 13, 14, 15, 18, Mega Ball: 9 and Megaplier was 3X.
Did anyone win Mega Millions Tuesday night?
The jackpot will grow to an estimated $1.35 billion after there was no winner of the lottery’s latest giant jackpot.
The next chance is Friday the 13th
Superstitious lottery players might keep a careful eye out for Mega Millions’ next drawing, which falls on Friday the 13th.
According to Mega Millions, over the years, six of the game’s jackpots have been won on a Friday the 13th.
Friday will also mark seven years after three tickets split the then-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. On Jan. 13, 2016 (unfortunately a Wednesday, not a Friday), three winners − including one in Melbourne Beach − cashed in on the $1.586 billion Powerball prize.
FRIDAY THE 13TH: Why is the ominous date so scary?
How do I play Mega Millions?
To enter Mega Millions, players pick six numbers – or choose to have the lottery machine generate a random “Easy Pick” or “Quick Pick”:
- Five numbers will go from 1 to 70 (white balls)
- One number can be picked from 1 to 25 (gold Mega Ball)
If your ticket matches all six of the winning numbers from the drawing, you’ll win the jackpot. There are also smaller prizes depending on how many balls your numbers match.
The cost to play Mega Millions is $2 a ticket. You can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot).
FEELING LUCKY: Non-lottery state residents flock to other states
Mega Millions can be played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What are my chances of winning?
Although the giant jackpot might be tempting, it’s important to note that odds of taking home a top prize are extremely slim.
- The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350 to 1.
- The odds to match all five white balls are 12,607,306 to 1.
READ THIS NOW: If you win the Mega Millions jackpot, here’s what you need to know
Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots
Here’s a look at the top 10 Mega Millions jackpots:
- $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
- $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
- $1.1 billion (estimated): Jan. 10
- $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
- $656 million, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland.
- $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia.
- $543 million, July 24, 2018: Won in California.
- $536 million, July 8, 2016: Won in Indiana.
- $533 million: March 30, 2018: Won in New Jersey.
- $522 million: June 7, 2019: Won in California.
Largest lottery prizes in history
Here’s a look at the top 10 largest lottery prizes, between both Powerball and Mega Millions:
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: Won in California.
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee.
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
- $1.1 billion (estimated): Jan. 10
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin.
- $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts.
- $730 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland.
- $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California.
What’s everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, Florida Today; The Associated Press
