Mega Millions Jackpot Balloons to Over Half a Billion Dollars Ahead of Tuesday's Drawing

Marisa Losciale
·2 min read
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If someone wins, it would be the sixth-largest prize ever recorded in Mega Millions lotto history.

The Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday, Dec. 27, will pull the last ticket of the year and could see a record-breaking win by the luckiest players.

The jackpot has continued to soar ahead of tonight's game and is now worth a whopping $565 million. If someone matches all six numbers, it would be the sixth-largest prize recorded by the lottery—bringing a real hair-raising close to the year.

According to a press release, the estimated jackpot has been growing since the last big win in mid-October, which split the $502 million prize between tickets in California and Florida.

In the 20 drawings since then, there have been more than 15 million winning lottery tickets at all prize levels, including three dozen worth $1 million or more which were won in 18 different states from coast to coast—including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The massive jackpot ballooned once more after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn last Friday night—which pulled white balls 15, 21, 32, 38 and 62, plus the gold Mega Ball 8.

Since the Mega Millions began in May 2002, there have been 11 winning jackpots of $500 million or more, including three that exceeded $1 billion. The current record jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018, with another Mega Millions jackpot winner scoring second place earlier this year, as per the release.

The top Mega Millions jackpots claimed to date are as follows:

  • $1.537 billion on Oct. 23, 2018, in South Carolina

  • $1.337 billion on July 29, 2022, in Illinois 

  • $1.050 billion on Jan. 22, 2021, in Michigan

  • $656 million on Mar. 30, 2013, in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland

  • $648 million on Dec. 17, 2013, in California and Georgia

  • $543 million on July 24, 2018, in California

  • $536 million on July 8, 2016, in Indiana 

  • $533 million Mar. 30, 2018, in New Jersey

  • $522 million on June 7, 2019, in California 

So if you dream of being a millionaire by the New Year, tonight may be your best chance.