For The First Time In Forever, Mega Millions Tickets Cost $5 Each

Remember the scene in Frozen when Anna gets all excited because it’s Coronation Day and she breaks into “For the First Time in Forever”?

If not, here’s a reminder.

That’s the energy we’re feeling today over here at Lottery Geeks HQ, as we’re pumped, excited, and — as Anna sang — maybe a little bit gassy over the fact that Mega Millions will be holding its first $5-per-ticket drawing Tuesday night.

While the estimated jackpot is sitting at a relatively modest $54 million (with a cash value of $25.7 million), it’s safe to say this will be the last time we’ll ever see this specific jackpot amount. After today, the starting jackpots will be $50 million, any next-drawing-after-a-reset jackpot will surely be over $60 million, and the average jackpot has been projected to hover around $800 million.

For the first time in forever … well, we’ll probably be setting some lottery records in the not-to-distant future.

In the meantime, nobody won the final $2 Mega Millions drawing last Friday night — numbers 11, 28, 35, 37, 69, and a gold Mega Ball of 25. There were also no winners who matched all five white balls.

Lottery Geeks estimates 9.1 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing.

Don’t forget about Powerball

The Powerball jackpot is up to $65 million for Wednesday’s drawing after nobody took home the top prize Saturday night. There were also no Match 5 winners.

Those numbers were 20, 23, 48, 59, 66, and a red Powerball of 4.

Lottery Geeks estimates 7.3 million tickets were sold for Saturday’s drawing.

Tickets for Mega Millions cost $5, while Powerball tickets cost $2, with most states offering the Power Play option for Powerball — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1. Mega Millions comes with an automatic multiplier for any prize except the jackpot.

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. $1.76 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. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

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. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California