The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history.
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That means in states like Minnesota, where there are 3,000 lottery ticket vendors, they've been busy as the Mega Millions jackpot has crept up above that rare, billion-dollar threshold.
Minnesota Lottery Director of Public Affairs Joan Schimml says it's not too often the jackpot gets this high, although it's become more common. This is already the third billion-dollar jackpot in 2024 and the second one from Mega Millions.
"This is the fifth largest jackpot in the Mega Million's history, so that's why there's so much excitement and people are talking about it," explains Schimml
Schimml says the Mega Millions prize is also the ninth largest in U.S. history for a lottery game.
"We have had a lot of excitement just because of the holiday season, right? And people are with their family and friends and they like to talk about and have a good time," Schimml says.
“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium said in a Wednesday statement.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, while the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials.
Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece. Half of the proceeds from the sale of each ticket remains in the state where the ticket was sold. Drawings are held at 10:00 p.m. Central Time (11:00 p.m. Eastern) on Tuesdays and Fridays.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game,” Johnston said.
The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday night.
Largest U.S. Lottery Jackpots
1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket, from Florida)
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
6. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
8. $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024 (one ticket, Oregon)
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024 (one ticket, from New Jersey)
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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