- The Mega Millions jackpot is getting close to clearing a billion, with a $790 million jackpot, and 28 failed drawings.
- Mega Millions has only surpassed a billion dollars twice since its 2002 revamp, but they have both occurred in the last four years, with the milestones being hit in 2021.
WASHINGTON – The Mega Millions jackpot is on its way to setting records for the biggest prize pool in the history of the game, with a current sum of $790 million. This is the fourth largest prize that has ever been up for grabs, and there have been 29 consecutive drawings that did not result in a winner.
Odds For Winning Big
Even with all of this loss, the odds of winning do not increase with this lottery jackpot, still being 302.5 million to one odds. The chance of hitting five regular numbers but missing the mega ball would win somebody a million but is 12.6 million to one gambling odds.
With all of the tickets failing to hit the jackpot, there were a few winning tickets worth a million dollars on Friday’s drawing. Some of these prizes were increased due to the Megaplier, which multiplies the amount won and is now available in all 45 participating states.
Largest Prize Pools In Mega Millions History
With 20 years of this nationwide activity, there have only been three jackpots larger than the current $790 million. The second-largest jackpot that Mega Millions has ever seen took place in January of 2021 when the prize pool had 37 drawings and was over a billion dollars.
The only other time the prize was over a billion, was when a South Carolinian woman won the $1.5 billion jackpot in 2018.
The total prize pool could certainly continue to increase and could break the record. The $790 million would pay out around $440 million if currently cashed out.
The next lottery drawing is taking place on Tuesday night, where an individual will walk away with half a billion dollars, or the prize money and anticipation will continue to rise.