Lucky players will have the chance to win the estimated $ 865 million jackpot from Mega Millions on Tuesday night, the largest in the game in at least two years. The bounty has reached those heights because there has been no winner since mid-September.
A payout of $ 865 million would be the second largest of Mega Millions, after just a $ 1.54 billion bonanza won in 2018.
Each Mega Millions ticket costs $ 2 and winners must match six numbers, including the Mega Ball, to take home the full amount.
The one-time cash option for Tuesday’s jackpot was a minimum of $ 638.8 million. Accepting the fixed payment of the jackpot in cash is a preferred option for most winners. Otherwise, the jackpot will be divided over 30 years.
If no one matches all of Tuesday night’s winning numbers, Friday night’s next draw will have an estimated jackpot of $ 970 million, according to Mega Millions.
Tuesday’s winning numbers Mega Millions
- 10, 19, 26, 28, 50
- Mega Ball: 16
- Megaplier: 2x
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
Meanwhile, the Powerball lottery jackpot has risen to an estimated $ 730 million. Winning numbers will be drawn on Wednesday night.
Even with both jackpots combined, they still pale in comparison to the biggest prize, one Powerball Jackpot of $ 1.58 Billion won by three players in 2016. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in Wisconsin on September 15, 2020, when a single winner won a ticket worth $ 120 million. The game was won five times last year, with a jackpot of $ 414 million in June as the biggest prize, officials said.
The chances of winning a jackpot are slim: 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball.
Here are the 10 biggest Mega Millions jackpots ever, along with where the tickets were bought:
- $ 1.54 billion – one winning ticket in South Carolina (October 2018)
- $ 656 million – three winning tickets in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland (March 2012)
- $ 648 million – two winning tickets in California and Georgia (December 2013)
- $ 615 million – unknown if there are winners (January 2021)
- $ 543 million – one winning ticket in California (July 2018)
- $ 536 million – one winning ticket in Indiana (July 2016)
- $ 533 million – one winning ticket in New Jersey (March 2018)
- $ 522 million – one winning ticket in California (June 2019)
- $ 451 million – one winning ticket in Florida (January 2018)
- $ 437 million – one winning ticket in New York (January 2019)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.