Can Friday the 13th be lucky again? $264M jackpot up for grabs

Some people avoid ladders, black cats, or even leaving the house on Friday the 13th, but for Michigan Lottery players, the day might just be their favorite time to test fate. While horror movies and centuries-old superstitions have painted this date as cursed, the Mega Millions drawing has a history of flipping that script in spectacular, multimillion-dollar fashion. Could today be another twist in the tale?

Is Friday the 13th unlucky?

Thanks to superstition and folklore, many people out there believe that Friday the 13th is unlucky. The fear of this particular day is linked to the idea that both the number 13 and the day Friday are historically “unlucky.”

Add in the fact that pop culture makes the day out to be very unlucky, with horror films like Friday the 13th and urban legends. All of that added together and it leaves many people feeling unlucky on Friday the 13th.

Michigan Mega Millions players say otherwise

While certain people feel this day is unlucky, Mega Millions players in Michigan don't agree. Friday the 13th has been particularly lucky for Michigan Lottery players, with four players winning Mega Millions jackpots on this supposedly cursed day. Those four jackpots were:

• June 13, 2008 – A $57 million jackpot was won by a Kent City man.
• May 13, 2011 – A $27 million jackpot was won by a man in Kalamazoo.
• June 13, 2014 – A $66 million jackpot was won by a Port Huron woman.
• October 13, 2017 – A $21 million jackpot was won by a man in Waterford.

Can the fifth jackpot winner happen tonight in Michigan? The Mega Millions jackpot stands at $264 million for tonight’s drawing, with the cash option being $117.3 million.

The last time a ticket in Michigan won the Mega Millions jackpot happened in January 2021. An Oakland County lottery club matched all the winning numbers to win the $1.05 billion jackpot at that time, which happened to be the biggest jackpot ever won in Michigan.

Another big Friday the 13th lottery win

While that billion-dollar win in Michigan didn't happen on Friday the 13th, there has been a billion-dollar winner on this “unlucky” day. On January 13, 2023, one lucky ticket purchased in Maine happened to match all the winning numbers for the Mega Millions drawing that night.

The winner of that jackpot remained anonymous, as LaKoma Island Investments LLC accepted the winnings on their behalf. Those winnings happened to be $1.35 billion.

13 proving to be lucky

While many link the number 13 to be unlucky, a Powerball drawing taking place on January 13, 2016, proved that theory wrong. While that drawing was on a Wednesday night and not a Friday the 13th, it still fell on the 13th day of the month. For that drawing, the Powerball jackpot climbed all the way up to $1.59 billion. The jackpot was won that night, with three tickets purchased in California, Florida, and Tennessee all splitting the prize.

If you are feeling lucky on this Friday the 13th, make sure to get your Mega Millions tickets before the drawing takes place tonight at 11:00 p.m. ET.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.