Mega Millions Gobble-Gobbles Its Way To Nearly $500 Million For Tuesday’s Drawing

Much like a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey (or does the duck get stuffed first — sorry, we’re not turducken experts here at Lottery Geeks), the Mega Millions jackpot is getting awfully hearty.

In fact, Tuesday night’s drawing — the 22nd since the last time a grand prize was awarded — is up to an estimated jackpot of $489 million (or a $225.3 million lump-sum cash prize) after nobody took home the gravy on Friday.

Those winning numbers Friday — 13, 20, 26, 32, and 65, with a gold Mega Ball of 2 — did yield a Match 5 winner from Virginia. That ticketholder is now stuffed with a million dollars in their bank account.

Lottery Geeks estimates about 18.4 million tickets were sold for that most recent drawing, a number likely to keep rising as the jackpot threatens to cross the half-billion-dollar mark for the fourth time this year.

Powerball approaching $200 million

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot continues to add more green to its bean casserole, if you will, as nobody won Monday night’s jackpot, pushing the top prize for the Thanksgiving-eve drawing to an estimated $196 million (cash value of $90.7 million).

Monday’s numbers — and this marked the 15th consecutive drawing without a winner — were 5, 35, 45, 60, and 63, with a red Powerball of 12. And it was again a player from Virginia who matched all five numbers, yielding a million-dollar prize.

Lottery Geeks estimates some 8.1 million tickets were sold for Monday’s draw.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — 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. 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