Mega Millions Jackpot Tops a Quarter Billion

The next Mega Millions jackpot for the Tuesday drawing is estimated to be a huge $252 million.

Update:
Again now winners. The Mega Millions Halloween Drawing has an estimated Jackpot of $284m.

The Mega Millions Jackpot is at its highest since beginning of the year. The jackpot on Friday, Oct. 24 was $224 million, but no winners. Now the Mega Millions Jackpot is estimated at over a quarter billion. The cash option stands at $153m. At $252 million, the jackpot for the Tuesday drawing (/9/28) is the 16th largest in Mega Millions history. Since Mega Millions changed one year ago, there have been more than 205 million winning tickets sold for prizes at all levels, from $1 all the way up to the jackpot. Mega Millions entered a new era on October 19, 2013, with a matrix change designed to create bigger jackpots, second-tier prizes of up to $5 million with the Megaplier feature, and better overall odds.

In the past year, nine jackpots have been won, ranging from $20 million to a near-record $648 million, with a total of eleven winners (two jackpots were shared). There have been 174 Match 5 second-prize winners, most at the $1 million level; 11 of them won between $2 and $5 million because those tickets included the optional Megaplier purchase for an additional $1.

The Tuesday drawing of the Mega Million lottery did not have any winning numbers. Mega Millions says that there were three tickets that matched the five white balls, missing only the Mega Ball. Two were sold in California and one in Illinois. California has been on a roll, with Match 5 winners in each of the last four drawings.

The largest Mega Millions Jackpot in 2014 was $414m. The highest ever Mega Millions jackpot was $656 million in 2012.

Check the Mega Millions for the latest winning numbers here.

About Mega Millions:

Mega Millions, the game that holds the record for the largest jackpot in North American history, began on August 31, 1996 as the Big Game. The first drawing took place on September 6, 1996, with six states participating: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia. After fast growth of the game in 1997, a Tuesday drawing was added in February 1998. Players were given a larger choice of numbers and a “cash payout” option in January 1999. In /4/1999, New Jersey became the seventh member state. In /4/2002, the multi-state game was given the new name of “Mega Millions,” New York and Ohio became member states, and the game matrix and prize amounts were changed to offer players more excitement. In September 2002, Washington became the 10th member state, followed by Texas in December 2003. In June 2005, California became the 12th member, solidifying Mega Millions as the country’s most widely played multi-state jackpot game.

On January 31, 2010, 23 more state lotteries joined Mega Millions as an historic cross-selling agreement between Mega Millions and Powerball went into effect. With additional lotteries joining since then, Mega Millions is now played in 45 jurisdictions: 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

On March 30, 2012, Mega Millions made history with the world’s largest prize in any jackpot game ever: $656 million. The jackpot was split three ways, by winning tickets in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland. The record still stands.

Mega Millions entered a new era on October 19, 2013, with a matrix change designed to create bigger jackpots, second-tier prizes of up to $5 million with the Megaplier feature, and better overall odds.