The mega-million jackpot on Friday was estimated at $244 million, with a monetary value of $184.7 million. Here is a breakdown of the winners of last night’s draw.
Win numbers were 3, 19, 24, 44 and 50 with the Mega Ball 8 and the Megaplier 3x, according to the Mega Millions website.
No one purchased a ticket where all white numbers and the golden Mega Ball successfully matched, which means that the jackpot will move on to the next draw on Tuesday.
However there was a winner who matched five numbers for the second highest prize offered, $1 million. There were also 13 winners of the $10,000 prize after correctly matching four of the white balls and the golden mega ball. Two of these winners tripled their prize to $30,000 because they also bought the additional 3x megaplier.
About 441 players won $500 by matching four numbers, and of these winners, 82 won $1,500 with the megaplier. In addition, 1,343 people won $200 by combining three numbers and the megaball. 252 of them doubled their win with the megaplier to $400. In total, some 645,000 tickets won at least $2 last night.
The absence of a winner of the grand prize means that the jackpot for Tuesday’s draw has increased to $264 million with a cash prize of $199.8 million.
This year there have been some big winners. A ticket sold in Wisconsin on September 15, 20 won a jackpot worth $119 million, which was only the fifth mega-million jackpot to be won in calendar year 2020. Other winners in the 18 months included a $372 million ticket sold in Ohio and a $227 million ticket sold in the city of Cedar Park, Texas, on September 24, 2019.
How does Mega Millions work?
Mega Millions, one of the most popular multi-state lotteries in the country, was launched on August 31, 1996 as “The Big Game”. The tickets are sold in 45 states as well as in the District of Columbia and on the U.S. Virgin Islands. The five states where lottery tickets are not sold are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
The drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday on WSB-TV in Atlanta by host John Crow.
Five white balls will be drawn from a set of numbers 1 to 70, with a golden mega ball drawn from a set of numbers 1 to 25. With nine different ways to win a prize, your chances of winning at least $2 are 1 in 24, according to the Mega Millions website.
If you are a lucky winner, you have between 90 days and a year to redeem your ticket, depending on local rules and regulations. All jackpot winners are entitled to either a cash option or a pension option with an initial payout followed by 29 annual payments, each five percent higher than the previous ones. All winnings are subject to income tax.
