Overview
- A recent drawing had no jackpot winner, raising the advertised Mega Millions prize to an estimated $604 million for the next scheduled drawing.
- The advertised figure is an annuity value and the lump-sum cash option is estimated at about $266 million, a large difference that affects what a winner would actually receive.
- The odds of winning the jackpot are roughly 1 in 290 million, while matching the five white balls without the Mega Ball pays at least $1 million with odds near 1 in 12.6 million.
- There have been only two Mega Millions jackpot winners so far this year, including one ticket worth about $536 million and another worth about $60 million.
- Last year’s rule changes raised the ticket price to $5 and set jackpot resets at $50 million, which increases player cost and raises the minimum size of future jackpots; Mega Millions is sold in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.