Mega Millions winning numbers: 25, 37, 46, 48, 68; Mega Ball 25
The winning numbers for Tuesday night's Mega Millions jackpot were 25, 37, 46, 48, 68 and the Mega Ball was 25. The pot was up to $475 million.
But there was no winner, so the new jackpot will be at least an estimated $530 million for the next drawing, on Friday night.
Each ticket costs $2 and winners must match all the numbers, including the Mega Ball, to take home the full sum.
The Mega Millions winner has the option to take a one-time lump sum or be paid in annual installments of 10 to 25 years. The all-cash option for Tuesday's jackpot was $307 million.
Mega Millions winning numbers
- 25, 37, 46, 48, 68
- Mega Ball: 25
- Megaplier: 2X
Taking the jackpot's cash value is an option favored by most winners. Otherwise, the jackpot is doled out over 29 years.
Mega Millions tickets are $2 and are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Odds of winning
The odds of winning a jackpot remain abysmal at 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions *(and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball).
Who buys lotto tickets?
About two-thirds of Americans gamble. Last year, they spent $72.97 billion on traditional lottery tickets, according to Gallup.
On average, that's $206.69 per person. "Our obsession with lotteries, with gambling, is that unicorn feeling of, like, 'maybe it'll be me,'" CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger said. She points out that some people don't necessarily play to win.
"They just want to take a moment out of their day to consider how to dream big," Schlesinger said.
The average American spends about $223 per year on lottery tickets, according to a survey from LENDedu. Massachusetts residents have the biggest taste for playing the odds, spending almost $763 per year on lottery tickets, the study found. North Dakotans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending about $44 per year on the lottery, or the lowest average figure among residents of all 50 states.
Powerball winner steps forward
Meanwhile, a North Carolina man who says he based his Powerball entry on a fortune cookie he got from his granddaughter now has a fortune to celebrate. Retired retailer Charles W. Jackson Jr. stepped forward at North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters on Tuesday to claim last weekend's $344.6 million jackpot.
