Win Mega Millions, Make As Much Money As Mike Tyson Earned In His Career

Saturday night in Arlington, Texas will see the boxing match of the year. Or at least the boxing spectacle of the year.

No, it’s not a middleweight unification pitting pound-for-pound elites against each other or anything like that — it’s internet-celebrity-turned-half-decent-boxer Jake Paul going up against the man who was once the most fearsome heavyweight of his — and arguably, any — time, “Iron” Mike Tyson.

Paul is the betting favorite, and is being paid as if he’s the primary draw. While official purses have not been announced, it’s been leaked that Paul will pocket $40 million and Tyson a cool $20 million for the Netflix fight.

Of course, Tyson had a remarkable — and profitable — career in the ring, with estimates placing his total haul in boxing purses north of $300 million, but south of $450 million.

And you know what else is north of $300 million but south of $450 million?

Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot, at an estimated $361 million (with a lump-sum cash payout option of $169.2 million).

So if the options are either a career getting your head bashed in for that kind of dough, or the purchase of one $2 ticket, it seems like an easy choice.

No one won Friday’s Mega Millions draw — the winning numbers were 25, 28, 42, 64, and 69 with a gold Mega Ball of 19 — though one ticket-buyer in Michigan matched the five white balls for a $1 million prize, and another two customers — one in Texas, the other in Connecticut — matched all five numbers and purchased the Megaplier, which came in at 3x. They each won $3 million.

Lottery Geeks estimates a little more than 16 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing.

Powerball powers past $100 million

Although Mega Millions currently boasts the biggest prize on the national draw lottery scene, Powerball’s jackpot continues to climb as well, with Wednesday’s big prize sitting at an estimated $113 million, with a $53.4 cash value.

Nobody won Monday’s drawing — the numbers were 3, 21, 24, 34, and 46, with a red Powerball of 9 — and no one hit the “Match 5,” meaning there were no million-dollar winners.

Lottery Geeks estimates some 7.7 million tickets were sold for Monday’s draw.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering a prize multiplier option for an additional $1.

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, while 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. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California

And here’s 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. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $558.1 million, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California