Mega Millions drawing Friday will be game's third-largest jackpot ever

Posted By: Ashley Smith
July 22, 2022 @ 1:47 pm
Local News

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(NEW YORK) — This is one mega grand prize.

The estimated jackpot for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing is now $660 million — making it the game’s third-largest prize ever.

At that amount, Friday’s jackpot would be the ninth-largest in U.S. history, including top Powerball winners.

The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on April 15, with a winning ticket in Tennessee claiming $20 million.

There have been no jackpot winners in the 27 consecutive drawings since then, with the grand prize growing from $20 million to an estimated $555 million as of Tuesday. Interest in the lotto has driven Friday’s grand prize up to an estimated $660 million, pre-tax.

The winner could choose to be paid out in one immediate payment and then 29 annual payments. Or, the lump-sum cash option for the drawing is estimated to be $376.9 million.

The largest jackpots in the history of the game were $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina in 2018, and $1.05 billion, won in Michigan in 2021.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, according to the lottery game.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2.

Friday night’s drawing is at 11 p.m. ET.