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Last night's (Tuesday) Mega Millions jackpot was estimated at $20 million, with a cash value of $16.4 million. But did anyone scoop the top prize last night?
The winning numbers were 2, 22, 30, 42, and 62 according to the Mega Millions website. The Mega Ball was 20 and the Megaplier was 3x.
Nobody managed to take home the top prize by purchasing a ticket that matched all white numbers and the gold Mega Ball, meaning the grand prize rolls over to the next drawing on Friday.
One lucky person from Washington state did successfully match all five white balls to take home the second biggest prize of $1 million. The winner did not purchase the additional 3x Megaplier, which would have seen his payout tripled to a huge $3 million.
There were a further 10 tickets purchased that matched four of the white balls and the gold Mega Ball, thus winning $10,000. Three of those winners had also purchased the additional 3x Megaplier to triple their winnings to $30,000.
As the jackpot wasn't won, it now increases in size to roughly $40 million for the next drawing at 11pm E.T. on August 7.
The previous Mega Ball lottery before last night was held on July 31. The top prize for the previous drawing was $22 million, with the winning numbers being 12, 35, 46, 48 and 69 with a Mega Ball of 23 and the Megaplier being 2x.
One lucky winner in California managed to scoop home the top prize by matching all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball, making it the second consecutive Friday in which the jackpot has been claimed. Back on July 24, one lucky person from New Jersey successfully matched all balls and the Mega Ball to take home a colossal $124 million payout.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot was on October 23, 2018, when a $1.586 billion prize was won.
How does Mega Millions work?
Mega Millions, along with Powerball, is one of the most popular multi-states lotteries in the country. First launched on August 31, 1996, tickets are sold in 45 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.
Five white balls are drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 70, with one gold Mega Ball drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 25. With nine different ways to win a prize, your chances of winning at least $2 are 1 in 24, according to the Mega Millions website.
If you are a lucky winner, you will have between 90 days and one year to redeem your ticket, depending on local rules and regulations. All jackpot winners are entitled to either a cash option or an annuity option of an initial payout followed by 29 annual payments that are each five percent larger than the previous ones. All prizes are subject to income taxes.
Why is the Mega Millions prize so low?
Jackpots used to always start at $40 million, but from April 3 this has been reduced to $20 million. Minimum jackpot increases of $5 million for each roll were also eliminated.
A press release from the Mega Millions Consortium at the time said the changes "are in direct response to slowing sales during the current global pandemic."
Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium, further explained the decision to KENS.
"Typical sales patterns have been altered because the current health crisis has required people to stay home. We are concerned, first and foremost, with everyone's health and well-being. Meanwhile, these adjustments will allow the states and jurisdictions that sell Mega Millions tickets to continue generating much-needed revenue to support state budgets," he said.
