COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The largest prize in Mega Millions history could be claimed soon after Tuesday’s drawing.
Tuesday’s winning numbers are worth an estimated $1.58 billion, or a one-time cash option of just $783.3 million. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday are 13, 19, 20, 32, and 33 and the Mega Ball is 14. The Megaplier is 2X.
After many months, the jackpot was been won with a single grand prize winning ticket being sold at a Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach, Florida.
This marks the fifth time in the game’s history that the jackpot exceeded the billion-dollar mark. The last time was in January of this year, with the winning ticket worth a potential $1.348 billion if the winner elected to be paid out annually.
The last time the Mega Millions jackpot has been won before Tuesday was April 18, making Tuesday’s drawing the 32nd try at a winning ticket.
In order to collect the full jackpot, the winner has to agree to be paid across 30 payments over 29 years. Most winners usually opt for a one-time cash payment, estimated at $783.3 million for Tuesday’s drawing. All winnings are subject to federal and, most likely, state taxes.
According to the Mega Millions lottery, none of the top 10 jackpots in the game’s history has been won by an Ohioan.
If Tuesday’s estimate of $1.58 billion holds, it will also be the third largest prize in U.S. lottery history, behind a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won on Nov. 8, 2022, and a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot on Jan. 13, 2016.
The largest Mega Millions jackpots are:
- $1.58 billion (estimated), Aug. 8, 2023
- $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018
- $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023
- $1.337 billion, July 29, 2022
- $1.050 billion, Jan. 22, 2021
- $656 million, March 30, 2012
- $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013
- $543 million, July 24, 2018
- $536 million, July 18, 2016
- $533 million, March 30, 2018
The chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million, but the chances of winning any of the prizes offered is 1 in 24.
For the last drawing on Aug. 4, 5,331,114 winning tickets won at least $2 or more. Nine winners matched the five white balls for the second-tier $1 million prize; two matched the five white balls and included the Megaplier, making their tickets worth $2 million.
More than 120 tickets matched four white balls and the Mega Ball for a $10,000 prize each, while 24 tickets included the Megaplier, doubling their winnings.
Mega Millions offers eight different prize tiers in addition to the jackpot.
The Megaplier is an optional buy-in that multiplies the winnings by that number. The Megaplier can be applied to all winnings except the jackpot.
Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays. Five white balls from 1 through 70 are drawn as is a gold Mega Ball from a set of balls numbered 1 through 25.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2 each with the optional Megaplier available for an additional $1.
