According to officials, one winning ticket was sold for Tuesday night’s estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot in New Jersey. It was the fifth-largest in game history.
The game had gone over three months without a jackpot winner. Tuesday’s winning numbers included 7, 11, 22, 29, 38, and a Mega Ball 4.
The estimated prize was the eighth largest in US lottery history, and the fifth largest for Mega Millions. The largest Mega Millions jackpot in history, $1.602 billion, was won on August 8, last year, when a single winning ticket was sold in Florida. The highest reward in US lottery history, a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot, was won in California in February 2023.
Mega Millions winners can choose to receive a lump sum cash payment or have their earnings spread out over 30 years
Jackpot winners can choose to receive a lump sum cash payment or have their earnings spread out over 30 years in annual installments. Only winners who select the annuity option receive the entire prize amount. The estimated lump sum payoff for Tuesday night’s drawing was $537.5 million, before taxes.
Mega Millions draws are held on Tuesday and Friday nights, while Powerball draws take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights.
To win the Mega Millions jackpot, players must match all five white balls and the yellow Mega Ball. Matching some, but not all, of the selected numbers earns you a smaller prize of up to $2. The chances of winning a Mega Millions reward are 1 in 24, but the odds of winning the jackpot are only 1 in 302,575,350.
Mega Millions tickets are available in 45 states, including Washington, D.C., and the United States Virgin Islands. A regular ticket costs $2, however bonuses can be added to cover additional fees, increasing the payment for non-jackpot winnings.
