The Mega Millions jackpot is heating up as it approaches its estimated prize of $825 million in the upcoming drawing on Friday, December 20. This would be the largest prize ever won in December and the seventh largest in Mega Millions history. The jackpot has been rolling since September 10 when a winning ticket was sold for $810 million.
Since then, almost 19.4 million winning tickets have been sold across 28 drawings, including 51 second-tier prizes of $1 million or more. In the latest drawing on December 17, there were 1,602,721 winning tickets across all non-jackpot prize levels, with five matching the white balls to win a second-tier prize.
The odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. The top Mega Millions jackpots include $1.602 billion won on August 8, 2023, and $1.128 billion won on March 26, 2024.
Mega Millions is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with tickets priced at $2 each. Players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes. Half of the proceeds from ticket sales remain in the state where the ticket was sold, supporting designated good causes and retailer commissions.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been won only three times this year, marking the fewest wins since the game began in 2002. The record jackpot remains at $1.602 billion, set on August 8, 2023.
Source: https://www.megamillions.com/News/2024/Mega-Millions-Continues-Rolling,-Now-at-$825-Milli.aspx