All news

Record $965M Mega Millions jackpot marks longest run in history

Mega Millions draw yields big second and third-tier winners, but the jackpot keeps climbing.

An electronic display at a lottery retailer displaying a $965 million Mega Millions jackpot.
Halley Bondy

The massive Mega Millions jackpot just got even higher after rolling over for the 39th time Tuesday night, making this Friday night the 40th rollover since June 27 - the longest run without a winner in the game's history.

Nobody won Tuesday's game

The winning numbers on Tuesday were 10, 13, 40, 42, and 46, with a 1 Mega Ball. Players need to match all the numbers in order to take home the grand prize. Nobody matched these numbers on Tuesday's draw, rolling over to Friday.

Climbing the jackpot ranks

The jackpot is estimated at $965 million for this coming Friday's drawing at 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, which comes to about a $445.3 million cash value. It's inching ever closer to $1 billion, and it currently sits between the seventh and eighth biggest jackpots the game has ever seen since its inception in 1996.

The highest Mega Millions jackpot ever was $1.602 billion, which was won in August 2023. The most recent billion-dollar-plus win was in December 2024 in California, at $1.269 billion.

Second and third-tier winners with multipliers

A lot of players are winning lower-tier prizes, but that doesn't mean their wins are negligible.

Three players matched all five white balls without matching the gold Mega Ball, earning them $1 million each. However, with the new automatic multiplier instituted by Mega Millions in April, they're taking home much more.

  • An Arizona Lottery winner's ticket was automatically multiplied by five, giving them $5 million.
  • A winner in Central Iowa and a winner in New York took home $3 million after their wins were multiplied by three.
  • In third place, 27 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball, earning them $20,000 each.
  • Two players from California won the 5X multiplier, earning them $100,000 each.
  • Two players from Illinois and Missouri won the 4X multiplier, earning them $80,000.
  • Eleven players won a 3X multiplier in California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Texas. They each won $60,000.
  • Twelve of the third-tier tickets had a 2X multiplier - they hail from Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. They all won $40,000.

Enhanced prizes and odds

In April, Mega Millions enhanced its lower-tier prizes, adding the automatic multipliers.

In this 39-drawing run alone, there have been $316 million in prizes awarded, including 20 second-tier prizes of up to $5 million and  299 third-tier winning tickets, ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 in 40 states.

Thanks to the changes, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot were raised marginally from 1 in 302,575,350 to 1 in 290,472,336, while the odds of winning any prize increased from 1 in 24 to 1 in 23.

Individual ticket prices were raised from $2 to $5 for consumers, too, raising a lot of eyebrows as to whether or not players would continue to flock to Mega Millions after April. The game needed a long jackpot run like this one to prove the value of the changes. It may cost more, but there are more and bigger winners.

Comments

0
Loading comments

Related articles

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, during an Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee meeting on Friday, November 21, 2025.
As mobile betting soars, New York eyes science behind gambling addiction

One Assembly chair wants SUNY researchers digging into how apps, alerts, and 24/7 access affect players.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A hand drawing a graph encompassing multiple years that shows a spike in stats for 2025.
How billion-dollar lottery jackpots quietly supercharge state tax revenue

Recent Powerball and Mega Millions wins show how lottery taxes can shift monthly forecasts.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Recent articles

View All
Louisiana Lottery CEO, Rose Hudson.
Featured
Exclusive interview
How Louisiana runs one of America's leanest lottery operations

In this exclusive interview with Lottery USA, Rose Hudson shares the formula for maximum education dollars.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

The South Carolina Lottery Enforcement Division logo over a white background.
Another delivery lottery crime in South Carolina is plaguing authorities

A FedEx worker allegedly stole a winning scratch-off from a package in South Carolina.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, during an Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee meeting on Friday, November 21, 2025.
As mobile betting soars, New York eyes science behind gambling addiction

One Assembly chair wants SUNY researchers digging into how apps, alerts, and 24/7 access affect players.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

A hand drawing a graph encompassing multiple years that shows a spike in stats for 2025.
How billion-dollar lottery jackpots quietly supercharge state tax revenue

Recent Powerball and Mega Millions wins show how lottery taxes can shift monthly forecasts.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold