Mega Millions Jackpot Climbs Past $300 Million On Heels Of A Drawing Loaded With Near-Misses

The Mega Millions jackpot just keeps rising after 14 draws and counting without a grand-prize winner — but that 14th draw came with a lot of close calls and several new millionaires and quadruple-millionaires.

A string of apparently popular numbers popped out on Tuesday, as five players connected on all five white balls: 3, 9, 14, 26, and 51. None of those five tickets, however, had the correct gold Mega Ball, 21.

Two of the five winners — one in Connecticut, one in Virginia — won $1 million before taxes. The other three — in Indiana, New Jersey, and Oregon — played the Megaplier, which had a value of 4x, earning them $4 million apiece.

Had any of them held the winning Mega Ball number, they would have claimed an estimated jackpot of $279 million, or $131.1 million if they’d chosen the lump-sum cash payment.

But because nobody hit, the grand prize escalates for Friday’s draw to an estimated $306 million (cash option: $143.8 million).

By Lottery Geeks’ calculations, about 15.46 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s draw, down slightly from the approximately 16 million for the previous draw, last Friday.

One big Powerball winner too

Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offered a little less excitement, with about 9.46 million tickets purchased for a shot at $116 million (or $55.3 million cash) and only one customer hitting the Match 5.

That player, who bought their ticket in Georgia, paired white balls 16, 42, 59, 63, and 68, but not the red Powerball of 13 — which the superstitious among the lottery crowd were probably reluctant to play. Fortunately for them, they ponied up for the Power Play, which doubled their pre-tax prize from $1 million to $2 million.

That makes nine consecutive Powerball drawings without a jackpot winner. For the next Powerball draw, on Saturday, the grand prize is worth an estimated $131 million as an annuity (or $62.8 million in cash).

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, and it costs an additional $1 to play the Megaplier or Power Play multiplier in those states that offer it.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions tickets are available in every state except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets are also sold in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and — for Powerball only — Puerto Rico.

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