Mega Millions jackpot soars to $1.1 billion

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.1 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Friday night, continuing a stretch of more than three months without a big winner.

The numbers drawn were: 3, 8, 31, 35, 44, 16.

The jackpot increased after a drawing for an estimated $977 million failed to produce a jackpot winner.

$1.7 B up for grabs with two major lotteries at near-record levels

No one has won the game’s jackpot since Dec. 8, a string of 30 consecutive drawings without anyone taking home the top prize. That has enabled the jackpot to slowly grow, week after week.

The $1.1 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity over 30 years. Winners almost always opt for a cash payment, which for the next drawing Tuesday night is an estimated $525.8 million.

A lucky player winning the $1.1 billion jackpot would take home the eighth largest in U.S. lottery history.

The other U.S. lottery game, Powerball, has grown to an annuity jackpot of $750 million and a cash payout of $357.3 million. The next Powerball drawing is scheduled to take place Saturday night.

“Lottery fever continues to spread throughout the country,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium.

The top Mega Millions jackpots:

Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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