NEW YORK — The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever offered in the month of December will be up for grabs on Tuesday.
No ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night – the white balls 36, 43, 52, 58 and 65, plus the gold Mega Ball 16.
The jackpot jumps to an estimated $740 million ($342.9 million cash) for the next drawing.
If won at that level, it would be the eighth largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
The last time the jackpot was close to this level in the days before Christmas was in 2013, when a $648 million prize was shared between winners in California and Georgia on December 17. Another big prize was won on December 17, 2019, when an Ohio ticket-holder took home a $375 million jackpot. Could next Tuesday bring the third December 17 jackpot win in Mega Millions history
The Mega Millions jackpot was last won at $810 million in Texas on September 10.
Before that September 10 prize in the Lone Star State, the Mega Millions jackpot was won only twice earlier this year. A $552 million windfall was awarded to an Illinois online player on June 4, and a whopping $1.128 billion prize still awaits a ticket-holder in New Jersey; no one has yet come forward to claim that jackpot from March 26. If not claimed, this ticket will expire on March 26, 2025, and the unpaid prize will revert back to each participating Mega Millions jurisdiction.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, according to Mega Millions.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 for one play.
Top Mega Millions Jackpots
1. $1.602 billion, August 8, 2023 (one ticket in Florida)
2. $1.537 billion, October 23, 2018 (one ticket in South Carolina)
3. $1.348 billion, January 13, 2023 (one ticket in Maine)
4. $1.337 billion, July 29, 2022 (one ticket in Illinois)
5. $1.128 billion, March 26, 2024 (one ticket in New Jersey)
6. $1.050 billion, January 22, 2021 (one ticket in Michigan)
7. $800 million, September 10, 2024 (one ticket in Texas)
8. $656 million, March 30, 2012, (three tickets in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland)
9. $648 million, December 17, 2013 (two tickets sold in California, Georgia)
10. $552 million, June 4, 2024 (one ticket in Illinois)
Here is a look at the 10 largest U.S. jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $2.040 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket: California)
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket: California)
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket: Florida)
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets: California, Florida and Tennessee)
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket: South Carolina)
6. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket: Maine)
7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket: Illinois)
8. $1.128 billion, March 26, 2024 (one ticket in New Jersey)
9. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July, 19, 2023 (one ticket: California)
10. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket: Michigan)
WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
