Double near miss for Florida and Texas as Mega Millions jackpot grows

It was near misses for two ticket holders last night, as a ticket in Florida and a ticket in Texas were so close to winning the $205 million Mega Millions jackpot, but ended up coming up one number short!

What were the winning Mega Millions numbers last night?

While all the buzz seems to be on Powerball and its $478 million jackpot, the latest Mega Millions drawing took place last night, October 22. The estimated jackpot last night was $205 million, with a cash option of $96.1 million.

The winning white ball numbers for last night's drawing were 8, 43, 48, 58, and 60, and the Mega Ball was 4, with the Megaplier being 3X.

So close for Florida and Texas

There were no tickets that matched all six of the numbers drawn last night, there were two tickets that came so close to hitting it big!

Both tickets matched all five of the winning white ball numbers but came up short of winning the jackpot after not matching the Mega Ball number.

The ticket in Texas won the second-tier prize of $1 million. However, the ticket in Florida also included the Megaplier option, so the winnings were tripled to win $3 million!

Biggest Mega Millions jackpots ever

The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow but still hasn't cracked the Top 10 of all-time jackpots in the game's history. Here is a look at the Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots of all-time:

• $1.6 billion – August 8, 2023 – Winning ticket sold in Florida
• $1.54 billion – October 23, 2018 – Winning ticket sold in South Carolina
• $1.35 billion – January 13, 2023 – Winning ticket sold in Maine
• $1.34 billion – July 29, 2022 – Winning ticket sold in Illinois
• $1.13 billion – March 26, 2024 – Winning ticket sold in New Jersey
• $1.05 billion – January 22, 2021 – Winning ticket sold in Michigan
• $810 million – September 10, 2024 – Winning ticket sold in Texas
• $656 million – March 30, 2012 – Winning tickets sold in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland
• $648 million – December 17, 2013 – Winning tickets sold in California and Georgia
• $552 million – June 4, 2024 – Winning ticket sold in Illinois

While this current jackpot run hasn't cracked the Top 10 yet, it is inching up and could be the fourth jackpot in 2024 to crack the Top 10.

When are the Mega Millions drawings held?

The Mega Millions drawings take place at 11:00 p.m. ET. These drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday night.

For those interested, Mega Millions tickets cost $2 per play and are available for purchase in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, we did recently announce that the Mega Millions game would be getting a mega makeover, including an increase in ticket prices to $5 per play beginning in April 2025.

With no winner in last night's drawing, the Mega Millions jackpot now stands at an estimated $229 million with a cash option of $107.4 million for the Friday, October 25, 2024, drawing.

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