The Mega Millions jackpot has ballooned to $785 million for only the fourth time in game history after Friday's pot went unclaimed.
During the last drawing, players on Friday failed to match all six numbers -- the white balls 1, 3, 6, 44 and 51, plus the gold Mega Ball 7 -- moving the first drawing of the year beyond $700 million.
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WATCH HEREWhen can you play next? Find the next drawing date, how to play, what you need to win and why January is significant to this jackpot, in the article below.
When Is the Next Mega Millions Drawing?
The next Mega Millions drawing, the first of 2023, happens at 11 p.m. EST/10 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The prize is currently estimated at $785 million or $395 million cash.
That's significant because January is a special month for Mega Millions, lottery officials said.
"On only three previous occasions has the Mega Millions jackpot gone beyond $700 million, and all three times those rolls continued on past $1 billion," Mega Millions said in a statement. "One was in January just two years ago, when the jackpot was eventually won in Michigan at $1.05 billion on January 22, 2021. Will history repeat itself with another billion-dollar January win?"
Though no one won this jackpot so far, Mega Millions says there have been plenty of winners. The Dec. 30 drawing, for example, yielded 2,776,599 winning tickets, with prizes ranging from $2 up to $1 million.
A ticket sold in Ohio matched the five white balls to win the $1 million prize, and 82 tickets across the country matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize, ranging from $10,000 to $30,000.
"In the 22 drawings since the jackpot was last won on Oct. 14, there have been more than 19.8 million winning tickets at all prize levels," Mega Millions said. "These include 41 worth $1 million or more, won in 18 different states from coast to coast: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia."
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SIGN UP Illinois Mega Millions players have been among the lucky winners in general.
Earlier this year, a jackpot-winning $1.34 billion Mega Millions ticket was sold at a suburban Des Plaines gas station. After taking nearly two months to come forward, the ticket winners, who have chosen to remain anonymous, claimed "the largest lottery prize ever in Illinois, and the third largest lottery prize in U.S. history," the Illinois Lottery says.
How to Play Mega Millions
Each ticket costs $2 to play. Players also have the option to add a "Megaplier" option to their tickets. That addition costs $1, and can potentially multiply any non-jackpot prize a player wins.
To play, players are asked to pick five numbers between 1-and-70, and to choose one Mega Ball.
Players can either pick their own numbers, or can have the machine select numbers for them. Tickets must be purchased one hour or more before the drawing.
How to Win Mega Millions
There are nine different ways to win prizes in the game.
If you match all five numbers and the Mega Ball, you win the jackpot. The odds of doing so are around 1-in-302 million.
Here are the other eight prize levels. All of these prizes are subject to the “Megaplier,” which can increase the given prize.
Match five numbers: $1 million
Match four numbers and the Mega Ball: $10,000
Match four numbers: $500
Match three numbers and the Mega Ball: $200
Match three numbers: $10
Match two numbers and the Mega Ball: $10
Match one number and the Mega Ball: $4
Match the Mega Ball: $2
Tickets can be checked at any Illinois Lottery retailer, or via the Illinois Lottery’s mobile app.
Prizes of $600 or lower can be claimed at participating retailers, with certain limitations. Prizes over that amount must be redeemed at Illinois Lottery customer service centers.
