No ticket matched all six numbers in the Christmas Eve Mega Millions drawing, sending the jackpot soaring to an estimated $1.15 billion ($516.1 million cash) for the next drawing on Friday, December 27. If won at that level, it would be the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history. Tuesday’s winning numbers were white balls 11, 14, 38, 45, and 46, and the gold Mega Ball 3.
Since the game’s inception in 2002, thirteen Mega Millions jackpots have been won in December. Three of these wins occurred after Christmas, while the remaining ten were awarded before the holiday. Interestingly, there has never been a jackpot win on Christmas Day itself, despite drawings being held on six Christmases: 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2020.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on September 10th, at $810 million in Texas. Prior to that, only two jackpots were won earlier in 2024: a $552 million prize claimed by an Illinois online player on June 4th, and a massive $1.128 billion prize won in New Jersey on March 26th that remains unclaimed. The New Jersey ticket holder has until March 26, 2025, to claim their winnings; otherwise, the prize money will be redistributed among participating jurisdictions.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. The game is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with tickets costing $2 per play.
Top Mega Millions Jackpots:
1. $1.602 billion, August 8, 2023 (Florida)
2. $1.537 billion, October 23, 2018 (South Carolina)
3. $1.348 billion, January 13, 2023 (Maine)
4. $1.337 billion, July 29, 2022 (Illinois)
5. $1.128 billion, March 26, 2024 (New Jersey)
Top Lottery Jackpots (Mega Millions and Powerball):
1. $2.040 billion, Powerball, November 7, 2022 (California)
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, October 11, 2023 (California)
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, August 8, 2023 (Florida)
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016 (California, Florida, Tennessee)
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018 (South Carolina)
Watch Lottery Drawings:
New York State Lottery drawings are streamed daily at 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Powerball drawings are streamed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Mega Millions drawings are streamed on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m.
*Sources: AP archives, www.megamillions.com and www.powerball.com*
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