Megabucks jackpot in Massachusetts is largest in game's history at over $22 million

The Massachusetts Lottery said Thursday that the Megabucks jackpot has reached a record high ahead of Saturday's drawing.

The estimated $22.25 million prize broke the game's previous record of $21.7 million that had stood since 1985.

"It's an exciting day when a forty-plus year record is broken and knowing that any jackpot winning Megabucks ticket will be sold right here in Massachusetts makes it even better," Mass Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken said in a statement. "We also want to remind people to keep the experience of playing the Lottery enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means."

A single jackpot winner who picks the cash option would bring home $14.87 million before taxes. Nobody has won the jackpot since last April 21, 2025 when it was $1.97 million.

Megabucks underwent a format change in 2023, doubling its ticket price to $2 to create bigger jackpots. It also added a drawing on Mondays, in addition to Wednesday and Saturday drawings.

Megabucks players need to match six numbers between 1 and 44 to win the jackpot. Matching five numbers wins $5,000, four numbers wins $200 and three numbers is good for a $4 prize.

The odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are 1 in 7,059,052.

The Megabucks isn't the only big jackpot up for grabs this weekend. The Mega Millions jackpot rose to $542 million for Friday night's drawing. And the Powerball jackpot is up to $396 million for Saturday's drawing.