Mega Millions History Made In Georgia Friday Night With $980 Million Win

The first billion-dollar jackpot of the $5-per-ticket Mega Millions era will have to wait.

On the 40th drawing since the previous jackpot win — a Mega Millions record — a customer at Publix #1816, at 4000 N. Highway 29 in Newnan, Georgia, bought a ticket that proved a perfect match for Friday night’s winning numbers of 1, 8, 11, 12, and 57, with a gold Mega Ball of 7.

There was only one winner, meaning whoever struck gold will have the $980 million top prize (or $452.2 million if they choose the lump-sum cash payment) all to themselves.

The $980 million advertised value makes this the biggest win in Georgia Lottery history, breaking a record set on Oct. 23, 2024, when a Georgia player took down the $478.2 million Powerball jackpot.

“We are thrilled to congratulate the largest winner in our state’s history,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said via press release. “With every Mega Millions ticket sold in Georgia supporting HOPE and Pre-K, Georgia’s students and families are also big winners. We appreciate our players and retailers for their support of our mission.”

The Publix that sold the ticket will receive a $50,000 bonus.

According to Georgia rules, the lucky winner has 180 days from the draw date to claim their prize.

How many tickets sold?

In addition to the jackpot winner, one other ticket was worth seven figures: A ticket purchased in Michigan hit everything but the Mega Ball, with a 3X multiplier, making it worth $3 million before taxes.

By Lottery Geeks’ estimates, 25.6 million tickets were sold nationwide for Friday’s drawing — a dramatic leap from 15.8 million the previous Friday and 18.6 million on Tuesday.

At $5 a pop, that comes out to $128 million spent for Friday’s draw. But that’s still a far cry from when Powerball’s jackpot reached $1.787 billion in September and an estimated 258.3 million tickets were sold for that Saturday drawing. Powerball tickets cost $2 apiece, with an option in some states to add the Power Play multiplier for an extra dollar.

This long Mega Millions run ended with the eighth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. The grand prize now resets to $50 million for Tuesday’s drawing.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.79 billion, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
3. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
4. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
6. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
7. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
8. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
9. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California

Here is the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $820.6 million, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
5. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
6. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
7. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
8. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
9. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
10. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon