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UPDATE WEDNESDAY
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery officials say someone has won the record $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
Mega Millions officials said a ticket purchased in South Carolina matches all six numbers in Tuesday night’s drawing. The massive jackpot is the world’s largest ever lottery grand prize.
And it’s possible that the world will never know the winner.
South Carolina is one of eight states — along with Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas — where winners can remain anonymous.
The $1.6 billion prize reflects the annuity option, paid over 29 years. However, nearly all winners take the cash option, which for Tuesday’s drawing was an estimated $913 million.
The winning numbers were 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 5. No details on where the winning ticket was sold were immediately available. But the lucky player overcame miserable odds: The chance of matching all six numbers and winning the top prize is 1 in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
It will likely be days or even weeks before a winner steps forward to claim the prize.
UPDATE SATURDAY
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Mega Millions lottery may see a streak of jackpot rollovers end as it heads toward a record $1.6 billion drawing on Tuesday.
As more tickets sell, chances grow that at least one buyer will pick all six winning numbers. That would stop the streak of 25 rollovers, most recently on Friday night.
Based on sales projections, 75 percent of the 302 million possible combinations will be chosen for Tuesday’s drawing, up from 59.1 percent in Friday’s, said Carole Gentry, spokeswoman for Maryland Lottery and Gaming.
“It’s possible that nobody wins again but it’s hard to fathom,” Gentry said.
About 280 million tickets sold in Friday’s drawing, none matching the winning mix of 7, 15, 23, 53, 65 and 70 to claim an estimated prize of $1 billion. Fifteen tickets matched five numbers for second-tier prizes of at least $1 million.
The $1.6 billion estimated jackpot would be the largest prize in U.S. history . The second-largest jackpot was a $1.586 billion Powerball drawing on Jan. 13, 2016.
Russ Lopez, spokesman for the California Lottery, said tickets were going “very, very quickly” on Saturday.
Tonya Jimenez, assistant manager at Beavers Market in Fort Collins, Colorado, said all three registers were going Saturday, a day after the store sold 220 tickets. Many hopefuls haven’t played before.
“We tell them how to play it,” she said. “They don’t know what to do. We’re doing a lot of explaining.”
The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing since July, when a group of 11 California office workers won $543 million.
It costs $2 to play the game. The odds of winning the jackpot are about one in 302 million but, with so many tickets being purchased, the likelihood of rollover becomes increasingly slim.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets hit,” Gentry said. “I’d be more surprised if it doesn’t get hit.”
Mega Millions is played in 44 states Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
UPDATE THURSDAY
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $970 million, inching ever-closer to the $1 billion mark.
Officials raised the estimated jackpot Thursday for the second time due to strong sales ahead of Friday night’s drawing.
The prize is the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history, behind only a $1.6 billion Powerball prize won in 2016.
No one has matched all six numbers and won the Mega Millions grand prize since July 24. That reflects the game’s long odds , at one in 302.5 million.
The $970 million refers to the annuity option, paid over 29 years. Most winners take the cash option, which would pay an immediate $513 million. About half of the jackpot winnings would go to taxes.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
UPDATE TUESDAY
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot is now up to $900 million.
Lottery officials raised the estimated prize Wednesday, less than a day after another drawing without a winner increased the prize to $868 million.
Officials say no tickets matched all six numbers to claim the Mega Millions prize Tuesday night. The numbers were 3, 45, 49, 61, 69 and Mega Ball 9.
The next drawing will be Friday. The estimated jackpot for that drawing would be the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
The largest lottery jackpot was a $1.6 billion Powerball prize won in January 2016.
The jackpot has been growing since July, when some California office workers won $543 million.
The odds of winning the jackpot aren’t good, at one in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — After nearly three months without a winner, the Mega Millions lottery game has climbed to an estimated $654 million jackpot.
Unfortunately, even as the big prize for Tuesday night’s drawing rises to the fourth-largest in U.S. history, the odds of matching all six numbers and winning the game don’t improve. They’re stuck at a miserable one in 302.5 million.
The last time anyone won the jackpot was July 24, when a group from California claimed a $543 million prize.
The estimated $654 million jackpot refers to the annuity option, paid out over 29 years. The cash option, which is favored by nearly all winners, is $372 million.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
