Mega Millions jackpot hits $1 billion


Mega Millions jackpot hits $1 billion for Christmas Eve drawing

02:23

The winning numbers were drawn Friday night for the estimated $1.22 billion Mega Millions jackpot, the fifth-largest in the game’s history. The winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and a Mega Ball of 6.  

There has not been a winner since an $810 million jackpot was won in Texas on Sept. 10.  

“Ticket sales are going through the roof,” a spokesperson for Mega Millions had told CBS News earlier Friday, adding that once a jackpot hits this level, there is often a corresponding increase in ticket sales.

People wait in line to purchase their Mega Millions lottery ticket on Dec. 27, 2024, from a liquor store where winning tickets were previously sold in Hawthorne, California. 

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images


The cash option for winners that take a lump sum payout was now an estimated $549.7 million — a $33.6 million jump from a few days ago, the spokesperson said. 

Winners can either take the cash payout or the $1.22 billion annuity paid out over 30 years.

Only three Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year — the fewest in any year since the game started. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

A Mega Millions spokesperson said winners are possible across all the prize tiers even if there isn’t a jackpot winner. On Christmas Eve, four tickets matched the five white balls for the game’s second-tier prize. They were sold in California, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.

It would be the fifth biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever if someone wins. (All the totals are before taxes are taken out.)

The top Mega Millions jackpots

The biggest Mega Millions jackpot to date was $1.602 billion in August 2023. There was one winning ticket, sold in Florida. Here is a list of the other top jackpot totals, courtesy of Mega Millions: 

Amount Date Winning Tickets
$1.602 billion 8/8/2023 1-FL
$1.537 billion 10/23/2018 1-SC
$1.348 billion 1/13/2023 1-ME
$1.337 billion 7/29/2022 1-IL
$1.22 billion (est.) 12/27/2024 ?
$1.128 billion 3/26/2024 1-NJ
$1.050 billion 1/22/2021 1-MI
$810 million 9/10/2024 1-TX
$656 million                  3/30/2012                  3-IL, KS, MD
$648 million 12/17/2013 2-CA, GA

Aliza Chasan and

Brian Dakss

contributed to this report.

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