No one matched all six numbers to win the $830 million Mega Millions jackpot Tuesday night, and excitement over the potential windfall caused the jackpot for Friday night’s drawing to soar to $1.025 billion!
Even though nobody won the Mega Millions jackpot, Tuesday night’s drawing did produce a $30,000 winner in Vicksburg. The lucky ticket was sold at a Circle K store. The player added the Megaplier option for an additional $1 and turned an otherwise $10,000 winning ticket into a $30,000 winner.
The $1.025 billion annuitized jackpot – currently worth $602.5 million as a lump sum payment – is the third highest in Mega Millions history and ranks as the fourth largest in the history of lotteries in the United States. This is the third time a Mega Millions jackpot has topped the $1 billion mark. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.537 billion won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018.
Friday night’s drawing will be the thirtieth in this jackpot run, which began April 19 after the jackpot was won in Tennessee on April 15. Since that drawing, Mega Millions has generated more than 28.1 million tickets winning lesser amounts, including 42 winners of $1 million or more. Players can increase the prize amounts on non-jackpot winning tickets by adding the “Megaplier” feature for $1 per play.
Excitement about the drawing caused the shutdown of the Mega Millions website for more than two hours Tuesday night, and the pace of sales pushed Mega Millions authorities to revise the estimated jackpot upward twice after the July 22 drawing.
Have trouble imagining $1 billion? Think of it as 11 tons of $100 bills – with 46 pounds of $100 bills on the side.
Wednesday night’s Powerball® jackpot is $145 million, and Thursday’s Mississippi Match 5 estimated jackpot is worth $372,000.
Watch Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing
Watch the Mega Millions drawing live on WJTV in Jackson, WXXV on the Gulf Coast, WCBI in Columbus, WMDN, and WGBC in Meridian or WHLT in Hattiesburg, or go watch the live drawing on your computer or smartphone at the Mississippi Lottery’s website.
Players also can check their numbers at retail locations or online.
