Published on: December 26, 2024, 09:03h.
Last updated on: December 26, 2024, 09:03h.
The recent Mega Millions draw did not produce a jackpot winner on Christmas Eve as no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night.
With no jackpot winner in the latest draw, the Mega Millions jackpot has rolled over for the 30th time. The winning numbers from Tuesday were 1, 14, 38, 45, and 46, with the gold Mega Ball 3.
The upcoming draw is estimated to have a jackpot of $1.15 billion, marking it as one of the largest prizes in the game’s history. Mega Millions, which began in 1996 as The Big Game, continues to see rapid growth in its prize pool.
The Mega Millions Consortium, responsible for operating the lottery game across 47 jurisdictions, attributes the jackpot’s quick increase to the holiday season.
Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, expressed excitement about the upcoming draw, especially for those who may receive tickets as holiday gifts. Winning the $1.15 billion jackpot would be a dream come true, adding joy to holiday celebrations.
For the next draw, the one-time cash option is projected to be around $516.1 million. The odds of winning the jackpot with a single ticket are more than 302.5 million to one.
Close Calls for Jackpot Winners
Over a hundred tickets came close to winning the jackpot, with 110 tickets matching five out of the six drawn numbers.
Four tickets successfully matched all five white balls, winning $1 million each. However, none of these tickets included the $1 Megaplier option which could have tripled their winnings to $3 million with a 3x multiplier. The odds of matching all five white balls are one in 12.6 million.
Additionally, 116 tickets matched four white balls and the gold Mega Ball, winning $10,000 each, the game’s third-highest prize. Thirteen of these tickets had the Megaplier, increasing their winnings to $30,000.
Furthermore, 2,621 tickets matched four white balls, claiming $500 prizes, with 452 including the Megaplier to win $1,500. The odds of this combination are one in 38,792.
The majority of winning tickets from Tuesday’s draw matched only the gold Mega Ball, resulting in a prize equivalent to the initial $2 wager. There were 516,461 tickets with the Megaplier, offering odds of one in 37 to win back the wager with one of the 37 gold Mega Balls.
Upcoming Price Changes
Starting in April, the cost of a basic Mega Millions play will increase by 285% to $5. The number of balls and jackpot odds will remain the same, but each ticket will automatically include the Megaplier, ensuring a higher return than the $5 wager.
The current Megaplier multiplies non-jackpot winnings by 2x, 3x, 4x, and 5x. With the change in April, a 10x Megaplier option will also be available.