RELEASE DATE: 7/27/2022
For the third time in the 20-year history of Mega Millions®, the jackpot has surpassed the magical $1 billion mark. No ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 7, 29, 60, 63 and 66, plus the gold Mega Ball 15 – so the estimated jackpot on Friday, July 29, is an astounding $1.025 billion ($602.5 million cash). Friday night’s drawing will be the thirtieth in this jackpot run, which began April 19 after the jackpot was won in Tennessee on April 15.
Friday’s prize, as currently estimated, is just shy of the $1.050 billion jackpot won in Michigan on January 22, 2021. The Mega Millions record jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018; that prize remains the world’s largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket.
“We look with anticipation on the growing jackpot,” says Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, current Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “Seeing the jackpot build over a period of months and reaching the billion-dollar mark is truly breathtaking. We encourage customers to keep play in balance and enjoy the ride. Someone is going to win.”
With unprecedented traffic after the drawing – more than any in the history of megamillions.com – the Mega Millions website was down for more than two hours Tuesday night.
As the jackpot grows, so does the number of winning tickets at all other prize levels. For the July 26 drawing alone, there were a total of 6,775,330, winning tickets at all prize levels. Nine tickets matched the five white balls to win the Mega Millions second prize. One, sold in Ohio, is worth $3 million because it included the optional Megaplier (a $1 extra purchase available in most states), which was 3X Tuesday night. Of the other eight Match 5 tickets worth $1 million, two each were sold in New Jersey and New York, plus one each in California, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.
For matching four white balls plus the Mega Ball, 156 tickets win the game’s third prize. Thirty-six of those are worth $30,000 each because they also included the optional Megaplier. The other 120 third-prize tickets win $10,000 each.
In the 29 drawings since the jackpot was last won in Tennessee on April 15, there have been more than 28.1 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 42 worth $1 million or more. Those big prizes have been won in 17 states across the country: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
Four Mega Millions jackpots have been won so far this year. In addition to the most recent Tennessee win at $20 million on April 15, jackpots were won in California ($426 million on January 28), New York ($128 million on March 8) and Minnesota ($110 million on April 12; that state’s very first Mega Millions jackpot win).
All Mega Millions members encourage responsible play – enjoy the opportunity to play Mega Millions while keeping your play in balance. If you think you or a loved one may have a gambling addiction, or if you want to learn more, you can call the National Council on Problem Gambling’s confidential 24-hour hotline: 800-522-4700.
The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:
| Amount |
Date |
Winning Tickets |
| $1.537 billion |
10/23/2018 |
1-SC |
| $1.050 billion |
1/22/2021 |
1-MI |
| $1.025 billion (est) |
7/29/2022 |
? |
| $656 million |
3/30/2012 |
3-IL, KS, MD |
| $648 million |
12/17/2013 |
2-CA, GA |
| $543 million |
7/24/2018 |
1-CA |
| $536 million |
7/8/2016 |
1-IN |
| $533 million |
3/30/2018 |
1-NJ |
| $522 million |
6/7/2019 |
1-CA |
| $516 million |
5/21//2021 |
1-PA |
National media contact:
Marie Kilbane, Ohio Lottery,
[email protected], 216-774-5685 (office)