RELEASE DATE: 3/28/2018
More than half a billion dollars will be up for grabs on Friday, March 30, as the Mega Millions jackpot continues to rise! The estimated prize for the next drawing jumps to $502 million ($301 million cash) after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 7, 25, 43, 56 and 59, plus the gold Mega Ball 13.
It’s just the fourth time in Mega Millions history that the jackpot has surged past $500 million; the last time was in July 2016 when a single ticket in Indiana won a $536 million prize. And between America’s two big jackpot games Powerball and Mega Millions, Friday’s $502 million jackpot is the tenth largest prize ever offered in the United States. Powerball holds the world record with a $1.586 billion jackpot won on January 13, 2016; the Mega Millions record is $656 million won on March 30, 2012 – exactly six years ago this Friday.
“Jackpot rolls are always exciting, but surpassing the $500 million mark for only the fourth time is a historic milestone,” said Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions Lead Director and Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director. “Large jackpots like this one capture everyone’s attention, and it would be great to see the roll go on for a while longer. But at the same time, we can’t wait to see someone win.”
While the March 27 drawing was the twenty-third straight Mega Millions drawing without a jackpot-winning ticket, the game continues to produce big winners! Two tickets matched the five white balls Tuesday night to win $1 million each; they were sold in Illinois and New Jersey.
In total, Tuesday’s drawing produced a total of 1,526,557 winning tickets at all prize levels. Since the last jackpot was won on January 5, there have been more than 14.8 million winning tickets sold, including 35 worth $1 million or more.
The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won on January 5 at $451 million; a 20-year-old Florida man claimed that prize as the trustee of Secret 007, LLC.
The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:
Amount
|
Date
|
Winning Tickets
|
| $656 million |
3/30/2012 |
3-IL, KS, MD |
| $648 million |
12/17/2013 |
2-CA, GA |
| $536 million |
7/8/2016 |
1-IN |
| $502 million (est) |
3/30/2018 |
? |
| $451 million |
1/5/2018 |
1-FL |
| $414 million |
3/18/2014 |
2-FL, MD |
| $393 million |
8/11/2017 |
1-IL |
| $390 million |
3/6/2007 |
2-GA, NJ |
| $380 million |
1/4/2011 |
2-ID, WA |
| $336 million |
8/28/2009 |
2-CA, NY |
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