Exciting news awaits lottery enthusiasts as the next Mega Millions® drawing on Tuesday, August 8, is poised to challenge the game’s all-time jackpot record of USD 1.537 billion, previously won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018. The recent drawing on Friday night, which featured the white balls 11, 30, 45, 52, and 56, along with the gold Mega Ball 20, failed to yield a jackpot winner, causing the estimated jackpot to surge to a staggering USD 1.55 billion (USD 757.2 million in cash).
With a surge of enthusiastic players across the nation, including newcomers to the game, the possibility of a new record-breaking Mega Millions jackpot seems likely. Nevertheless, predicting such colossal jackpots with absolute precision remains challenging until we approach the Tuesday drawing; the stakes are incredibly high at this level, making accurate forecasts difficult.
Gretchen Corbin, the lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium and President/CEO of the Georgia Lottery, expressed delight at the game’s continuous growth. She extended gratitude to the players and retailers for their unwavering support, which enables numerous charitable causes funded by participating lotteries to benefit.
Throughout this jackpot run, the lottery has generated substantial revenue for good causes and lottery retailers while producing tens of millions of winning tickets for players. In the 31 drawings since the last jackpot win in New York on April 18, more than 36.6 million winning tickets were awarded across all non-jackpot prize levels, ranging from USD 2 to a remarkable USD 5 million. Among these, 62 second-tier prizes of USD 1 million or more were won in 27 different states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, and others.
The most recent drawing on August 4 alone saw 5,331,114 winning tickets across all prize tiers. Nine of those tickets matched the five white balls, securing the game’s second-tier prize. Notably, two tickets, sold in Michigan and Tennessee, were worth USD 2 million each due to the optional Megaplier (available in most states for an additional USD 1) being 2X for that specific drawing. Another Match 5-winning ticket from Tennessee won the standard USD 1 million second-tier prize, while six other tickets in Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas also secured USD 1 million each.
Moreover, 128 tickets across the country matched four white balls and the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. Twenty-four of these tickets were worth USD 20,000 each as they included the optional Megaplier, with the other 104 securing the standard USD 10,000 prize.
The year began with an unusual occurrence, as there were six jackpot winners in less than four months – a number typically expected over a full year, showcasing the truly random nature of lottery drawings.
The first of these wins was an impressive USD 1.348 billion secured in Maine on January 13, marking the second-largest prize awarded in Mega Millions history at that time. This was followed by three quick wins: a USD 20 million prize in New York on January 17, USD 33 million in Massachusetts on January 24, and another Massachusetts win of USD 31 million just two drawings later. Subsequently, two more wins occurred in New York – USD 483 million on April 14 and USD 20 million on April 18, marking the first time in Mega Millions history that two jackpots were won consecutively in the same state.
Mega Millions stands out as the only lottery game to have awarded four jackpots exceeding USD 1 billion, with one each in 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The upcoming drawing promises to set a new record, adding to the thrilling history of Mega Millions. Tickets for the game are available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands for USD 2 each, with the option to add the Megaplier for an additional USD 1 to multiply non-jackpot prizes. Drawings are held at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia.
Notably, half of the proceeds from the sale of each Mega Millions ticket remain in the state where the ticket was sold, providing vital support to designated charitable causes and retailer commissions.
Top Mega Millions jackpots to date
The current estimated prize of USD 1.55 billion is due for the next draw on August 8, 2023. On October 23, 2018, the USD 1.537 billion prize was won by a South Carolina player. The top prize of USD 1.348 billion was drawn on January 13, 2023, and awarded to a winner from the state of Maine. In 2022, more precisely on July 29, the USD 1.337 billion jackpot was drawn for a player from the state of Illinois. The USD 1.050 billion jackpot was drawn on January 22, 2021, for a ticket from the state of Michigan.
Be a Mega Millions jackpot winner
Don’t miss the chance to be part of the list of Mega Millions jackpot winners. Secure your tickets with Wintrillions and make all your dreams come true!