The Grinch got his way, as not a single ticket sold for the $1 billion Mega Millions Christmas Eve jackpot matched the six balls needed to win: 11, 14, 38, 45, 46 and a Mega Ball of 3.
The next estimated top prize is $1.15 billion, with a cash option of $516.1 million, lottery officials said. It would be the fifth largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won. The next draw is Friday evening.
The prize for Tuesday night’s drawing grew to $1 billion, or $448.8 million for the cash option, from an estimated $970 million on Monday, as more and more tickets were sold on Christmas Eve.
The $1 billion jackpot would have been the seventh largest Mega Millions pot of gold ever won. A player in Florida got the largest, $1.602 billion in an August 8 drawing.
Two winning Powerball jackpots are at the top: an estimated $2.04 billion in California in November 2022 and $1.765 billion, also in California in October 2023.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been rolling since it was last won at $810 million in Texas on September 10. No ticket matched all six numbers during the jackpot. previous draw on Friday eveningwith white balls 2, 20, 51, 56 and 67, plus the gold Mega Ball 19.
If anyone had won on Tuesday night, it would have been just the second Mega Millions jackpot won on Christmas Eve. Someone won a $68 million jackpot in New York on Christmas Eve in 2002, but the prize went unclaimed.
Since the game’s inception in 2002, thirteen Mega Millions jackpots have been won in December.
Only three Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year – the fewest in any year since the game began. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
Mega Millions tickets are available in 45 states, including Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2 per play. The drawings will be performed on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11pm EST.
Beware of lottery scams
People who plan to play the lottery should beware of lottery scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a lottery scam usually involves receiving a phone call, email or letter telling you that you have won a sweepstakes, lottery or prize. Some scams may ask people to pay money to access their winnings.
Mega Millions says no lottery representative would ever call, text or email anyone about winning a prize. The game also notes that large jackpots attract the attention of potential scammers.
“While people should be vigilant at all times, this is especially true during periods of larger jackpots,” the lottery website said.
Changes are coming to Mega Millions
Mega Millions tickets will become more expensive next year. It will cost $5 per game starting in April, more than double the current $2.
The change in ticket price will lead to bigger jackpots and better odds of winning, according to Mega Millions. The April change marks the second prize increase since the launch of Mega Millions.
“We are creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and be excited to play,” said Joshua Johnston, chief executive of the Mega Millions Consortium, when the news was announced. “We expect more billion-dollar jackpots than ever before, which means more billionaires and many more millionaires to come as the jackpots rise. Additionally, this game will continue the important legacy of supporting charities everywhere Mega Millions is played.”
Correction: This story has been updated to note that Mega Millions started in 2002, not 2022.
