Mega Millions: Ticket bought in Illinois wins $1.28B jackpot
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A Mega Millions drawing took place Friday night, and this time, there is a winner.
According to megamillions.com, there was one winning ticket in the draw, and it was bought in Illinois.
That person is now $1.28 billion richer, if they choose the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years. But most people opt to take the lump sum cash offer, which for Friday's drawing is an estimated $747.2 million before taxes.
The winning numbers revealed Friday night were 67, 45, 57, 36 and 13 with a "Mega Ball" of 14.
The prize fund surpassed $1 billion this week, marking only the third time the jackpot has crossed that threshold in the game's two-decade history. The game's current jackpot is almost as large as record amounts won in 2018 and 2021. Those years, players whose ticket numbers matched the figures drawn by Mega Millions administrators were awarded roughly $1.05 billion and $1.5 billion.
The current jackpot run began in April.
The drawing had some very close calls during the most recent try on Tuesday. Mega Millions said nine people nearly won the jackpot, which at the time stood at $830 million, but came up slightly short as their tickets held the first five winning numbers without the sixth and final Mega Ball figure. Another 156 people had purchased tickets with the correct Mega Ball number, but only four of the first five, according to the lottery.
Mega Millions reveals winning numbers for $1.28 billion jackpot
The drawing for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot in history took place Friday night. The winning numbers were 67, 45, 57, 36 and 13 with a "Mega Ball" of 14.
It remains unclear if any winning tickets were sold.
The Mega Millions jackpot was estimated to hit $1.28 billion by Friday night's drawing, the lottery game said in a news release. If a winner wanted to take the lump sum of cash, they would walk away with $747.2 million cash before taxes.
Mega Millions jackpot grows even larger
Those hoping to cash in big today in the Mega Millions lottery have even more reason to dream big. The jackpot has now grown to $1.28 billion, before taxes.
Earlier it had been estimated to be about $1.1 billion.
If there's only one winner and they choose the cash option, they'll see $747.2 million before taxes.
These are the 10 largest U.S. lottery jackpots ever won (so far)
The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to $1.1 billion, making it the nation's third-largest lottery prize. Here is a look at the 10 largest U.S. jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
- $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
- $731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
- $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021 (one ticket, from California)
- $687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
- $656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)
- $648 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013 (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
Mega Millions winner likely to be wary of scams
For individuals who legitimately hold winning tickets, protection from scams is one reason that some financial advisers have suggested they remain anonymous when claiming their winnings. Doing so is only possible in a handful of U.S. states, as a majority require lottery entrants to publicly disclose their identities upon winning. There are additional laws in some places that allow lottery winners to claim their prizes through legal entities, like trusts, which hold assets, but most states require anyone with a winning Mega Millions ticket to reveal their personal information when signing the check.
Along with potential choices regarding anonymity when claiming awards, players who win the Mega Millions jackpot can decide whether to collect the money in installments or all at once. Lottery entrants who opt for the payout would receive that sum in annual payments over about 30 years, so the majority choose the immediate cash option instead.
The decision likely depends on a number of personal factors for each winner, including their age, present financial situation and how their money could be collected by beneficiaries, if necessary. A significant chunk of the winnings will go to federal taxes either way, but individual state laws regarding lottery prizes and how, if at all, they are taxed could also make one type of financial award seem more favorable.
Picking your birthday might not be a winning strategy
Tonight's Mega Millions jackpot is worth $1.1 billion and that can feed a lot of dreaming, CBS Pittsburgh reports.
With all that money on the line, what are the odds versus chances of winning? Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University Michael Young says they aren't great.
"There's about 302 million ways the balls can be drawn," Young said.
Young said picking your own numbers isn't actually an advantage.
"Whatever numbers you picked, it's the same chance probability that the computer picks," he explained.
In fact, Dr. Mark Glickman at the Harvard University Department of Statistics said that choosing birthdays, anniversaries, or other significant dates is not a good idea.
"If you pick those kinds of numbers as your lottery picks, you're probably going to be having somebody else that's going to make those same picks," he explained. "The problem is that if that lottery number wins, you're going to split the cash price with those people."
The experts say that quick picks are the better way to isolate your winning ticket.
How to play, where to buy and what you could win
The Mega Millions jackpot is now estimated at more than a billion dollars, so if you haven't already been playing, now may be the time to buy a ticket.
The Mega Millions works like this: At any lottery retailer, you can ask for a "quick pick" -- pre-selected numbers -- or choose your own. If you decide to choose your own, you'll pick five numbers between one and 70 and one Mega Ball number between one and 25.
If you match all five numbers and the Mega Ball, you win the jackpot, currently estimated at $1.02 billion. Your odds of doing so, per the Minnesota Lottery, are 1 in 302,575,350.
You can win $1 million if you match the first five numbers and miss the Mega Ball. Matching just the Mega Ball will net you $2.
You can buy a Mega Millions ticket at any lottery retailer in Minnesota. Click here to find a retailer near you.
The next drawing will be Friday night at 10 p.m. Central Time.
If you win the jackpot, you can choose a cash option, which in this case would be about $602 million, or an annuity option, which would result in one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. If someone else matches the numbers, you would split the pot with them. Winnings would also be subject to state and federal taxes.
Prizes less than $599 can be claimed at lottery retailers. Prizes between $600 and $50,000 can be claimed at a Minnesota Lottery office. They're located in Roseville, Virginia, Detroit Lakes, Owatonna and Marshall. If you win the jackpot, you'll have to go to the Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville. Lottery officials recommend making an appointment for large winnings.
And don't worry about beggars or TV news reporters showing up at your house -- in Minnesota, the names of people who win more than $10,000 are automatically considered private data. You can opt into publicity if you like the spotlight.
