US Mega Millions Skyrockets to an Incredible $825 Million

The Mega Millions multi-state lottery game continued its jackpot run on Tuesday night when no tickets matched all six numbers. As nobody has won the most recent Mega Millions Lottery draw, it has triggered another jackpot rollover estimated at $825 million with a cash value of $382.2 million. This draw will occur on Friday, the 20th of December, 2024. 

To get to this gargantuan size, the jackpot has been growing since it started on September 13 as a $20 million prize. There have been 28 consecutive draws without a winner. The previous jackpot was a substantial $760 million.

If someone is lucky enough to win the jackpot on Friday, they can receive the full $825 million paid out in 30 annual instalments or a one-time cash payout of approximately $382.2 million.

The predictable rush of ticket sales over the following days may propel the lotto jackpot to an even greater amount leading up to the big night.

How to Play Mega Millions

Mega Millions Lottery draws take place each Tuesday and Friday night. The starting jackpot for this online lottery is $20 million, and if there is no jackpot winner, the amount will roll over into the next draw, increasing the potential payout. 

• Step 1 - Find a reputable place to purchase your tickets online.
• Step 2 - Choose whether you would like to select your numbers or use the Quick Pick option.
• Step 3 - Pick 6 numbers from 2 separate pools of numbers. You must select 5 different numbers from 1-70 (the white balls) and one number from 1-25 (the gold Mega Ball).
• Step 4 - Purchase your Mega Millions tickets for $2 per play.

There are a total of 9 ways to win a prize in Mega Millions, ranging from the Jackpot down to prizes as small as $2.

Jackpot Payout Options

There are 2 basic options for those lucky enough to win the Mega Millions Jackpot.

• Annuity Option: The Mega Millions annuity is paid out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments, with each payment exceeding the previous one by 5% to protect the winner against inflation. 
• Cash Option: A one-time, lump-sum payment equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions Jackpot prize pool.

Some states have a special offer called ‘Just the Jackpot’ that has become a firm favourite. For $3, the player will receive 2 plays for the jackpot only. Just the Jackpot tickets are not eligible for any other prize levels.

Most states offer a Megaplier feature. For an extra cost of $1 per play, you can add the Megaplier option, which can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to 5 times. 

The Mega Millions December 17th Draw

The Mega Millions winning numbers for the most recent draw were 56, 66, 67, 68, and 69, with the Mega Ball number 18 and the Megaplier number 4.

There was no jackpot winner in Tuesday night’s draw, but 5 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a cool $1,000,000 prize. Two of these lucky winners were from California, and 1 apiece from North Carolina, Louisiana and Oklahoma. 

Only the lucky winner from North Carolina purchased the Megaplier, a smart move for if you're looking to learn how to play lotto, quadrupling the payout to an incredible $4 million, as the Megaplier number drawn was 4.

Tuesday night’s draw also saw 55 tickets matching 4 of the first 5 numbers plus the Mega Ball to win $10,000 each. Of those fortunate winners, 17 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the total prize to $40,000 each. 2 tickets were purchased in California, where the payouts were $31,356 each.

Following Tuesday’s draw, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised by $65 million from $760 million and the cash value was raised by $30.1 million from its previous amount of $352.1 million.