The Mega Millions jackpot has surged to $1.15 billion after no one claimed Tuesday’s $950 million prize. For someone lucky enough to hit all six numbers on Friday, this could be the ultimate belated Christmas gift. The cash option for the prize stands at an impressive $516.1 million.
This $1.15 billion jackpot is the largest ever offered in December and marks only the seventh time in Mega Millions history that the prize has crossed the billion-dollar threshold. Previous billion-dollar jackpots were won in states including South Carolina (2018), Michigan (2021), Illinois (2022), and Florida, which holds the current record with its $1.602 billion win earlier this year.
Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, reflected on the holiday timing, saying, “We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot.”
The numbers drawn on Tuesday—11, 14, 38, 45, 46, and Mega Ball 3—didn’t produce a grand prize winner, but four tickets matched the first five numbers, each earning $1 million. Those tickets were sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania.
It’s been three months since a Houston-area resident claimed an $810 million Mega Millions prize after purchasing the winning ticket at a gas station in Sugar Land, Texas. If Friday’s jackpot is claimed, it will rank as the fifth-largest prize in the game’s history.
Mega Millions has called 2024 “the most unusual jackpot year,” with only three jackpots won so far—marking the fewest wins in any year since the game began in 2002.
