Mega Millions Lottery Reaches $750M, the Second-Largest Payout Ever, After No One Wins Again
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Mega Millions ticket
The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow, and this week's prize is the second-largest in the lottery's history.
Lucky winners who match the Mega Millions numbers drawn Friday night stand to win $750 million, or $550.6 million cash after no winning tickets emerged following Tuesday's draw.
While the winnings are certainly massive, they still wouldn't be as big as the current Mega Millions record, which stands at $1.537 billion, according to the lottery. That prize was won by someone in South Carolina in 2018, and remains the world's largest lotto prize ever awarded on a single ticket.
The $750 million pot has slowly been increasing since Sept. 15, when the last slate of winning numbers was drawn in Wisconsin. Friday's drawing will mark the 35th time the numbers have been drawn, which matches the longest roll in the game's history.
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Though no one matched all the numbers on Tuesday, more than 3 million people won prizes on some level, including nine tickets that matched five white balls and won the game's second prize.
Despite the potential for some big winnings, there are still Powerball tickets that have awarded even more in prize money. Two Powerball jackpots were previously worth $768.4 million and $758.7 million when someone won, while the biggest ever was worth $1.586 billion. That prize was won five years ago by three different people.
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Per the Mega Millions website, people can choose between two options if they have a winning ticket.
The first choice is taking the grand prize in an annuity option, which is awarded to winners in "one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments," each of which are 5% bigger than the last.
The other choice is a cash option, which awards winners with a one-time, lump-sum payment equivalent to all the cash in the jackpot pool, the website states.
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Though most winners choose the cash option, approximately half of their earnings go toward tax, NBC News reported.
Those interested in playing Friday's drawing, which is set to take place at 11 p.m. ET, can learn more information here.
