Published on: October 24, 2025, 12:37h.
Updated on: October 24, 2025, 12:37h.
- Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is estimated at a staggering $680 million
- The jackpot has been unclaimed since June 27
- The Mega Millions format changed in April, increasing the ticket cost from $2 to $5
The Mega Millions jackpot for the drawing tonight is projected to be $680 million, with a one-time cash option of $318.2 million available.
This jackpot represents the largest prize available since the Mega Millions game structure was revamped earlier this year.
From the April 8 drawing onward, the cost of a Mega Millions ticket increased significantly from $2 to $5. Officials from the Mega Millions Consortium, which manages the bi-weekly lottery from Georgia Lottery Studios in Atlanta, explained that the price hike aims to enhance player payouts.
The new $5 base play now includes the previously optional Megaplier. As a result, there are no longer any break-even outcomes, making the lowest possible prize $10 for matching just the gold Mega Ball with a 2x multiplier. Lottery representatives assert these adjustments will yield larger payouts across all non-jackpot prize categories.
Additionally, the odds of winning the jackpot have slightly improved from one in 302.2 million to one in 290.4 million due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball, with the selection now ranging from numbers 1 to 24.
Entering the Top 10
This evening’s Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the ninth largest in the game’s history, with all but two of the top ten jackpots being claimed since 2021.
The current Mega Millions jackpot has rolled over since a Virginia player won $348 million in June. That winner opted for the one-time cash payout of $155.6 million, prior to federal taxes of 37% and Virginia’s 5.75% deduction.
Since then, the jackpot has rolled over 33 times, although 9.5 million tickets have won prizes across all levels during this period.
Recent Wins
A single ticket nearly concluded the Mega Millions four-month streak during the October 21 drawing.
The winning ticket, sold in Illinois, matched the five white balls but did not match the gold Mega Ball, earning a $1 million second-tier prize. The player overcame odds exceeding 1 in 12.6 million to match all five white balls. The win was further magnified to $3 million thanks to the ticket’s 3X multiplier.
Furthermore, eleven other tickets matched four white balls and the gold Mega Ball, garnering prizes between $20,000 and $100,000, dependent on their respective multipliers. One ticket achieved the maximum 10X multiplier to secure the $100,000 reward.
In total, 436,959 tickets were winners across all prize tiers during the Tuesday drawing, with payouts reaching nearly $12 million across the nation.
The drawing occurs tonight at 11 PM EST. Cutoff times for ticket sales vary by state, ranging from as little as 15 minutes to as much as two hours before the draw.