Will a $2 Mega Millions ticket make you a billionaire this holiday season? As they say in the lottery world, "it could happen to you."
Recently, one Florida Mega Millions ticketholder got a little richer when their ticket matched five numbers to win $5 million, thanks to the Megaplier.
After no one matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Friday, Dec. 20, Mega Millions drawing for $862 million, the grand prize jumped to $944 million in a matter of hours. A few days later, however, the total grew to $970 million, according to Mega Millions online. As of Tuesday evening -- Christmas Eve -- the jackpot hit $1 billion. It is the 12th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot reached $1 billion. Only once has a lottery jackpot here surpassed $2 billion (see below).
On Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve's winning Mega Millions numbers were 11-14-38-45-46 and the Mega Ball was 3. Megaplier was 3x. The one-time lump sum payment would be $439.9 million, according to Mega Millions online. In case you're wondering, Friday's winning numbers were 2-20-51-56-67 and the Mega Ball was 19. Megaplier was 2x. Though those numbers led to a rollover, it wasn't all bad news: There were five tickets matching 5 numbers in Friday's Mega Millions drawing. Those tickets were purchased in Arkansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and two in Indiana.
One week ago, Tuesday, Dec. 17, drawing produced bizarre lottery numbers -- and several secondary wins: A ticket from North Carolina matched 5 plus the Megaplier for a $4 million prize. Two tickets purchased in California and one in Louisiana and Oklahoma each matched 5 for $1 million prizes. Tuesday, Dec. 17, winning Mega Millions numbers were 56-66-67-68-69 and the Mega Ball was 18.
Interestingly, that's not the only oddity in this particular lottery streak, which began, of all days, on Sept. 13, 2024, or Friday the 13th, for $20 million.
While $970 million is a lot of money, it's not in the Top 10 biggest jackpots ever in U.S. history (see below), though it is among the biggest in the history of the game.
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Recently, a Florida ticket won big, matching 5 plus the Megaplier, for a secondary prize of $5 million in the Tuesday, Dec. 10, Mega Millions drawing. That ticket was purchased at a Publix in Crystal River, Florida, on the West Coast of the state near Cedar Key. Whoever chose those lucky numbers scored a $5 million prize, and there's a limited time to claim the cash prize or the full amount (see below). Three other tickets -- two purchased in California and the other in Maryland -- matched 5 for $1 million prizes. Deadline to claim those vary because the winners are from another state.
If this lottery streak continues with another rollover, there are still chances for a grand prize winner during the holiday season.
Mega Millions tickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about the game, when winning tickets expire in Florida (it differs state by state) and lottery odds. Good luck!
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Mega Millions lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. EST Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve's winning Mega Millions numbers were 11-14-38-45-46 and the Mega Ball was 3. Megaplier was 3x. The grand prize has blown past $1 billion as the Christmas Eve drawing is another rollover.
The Friday Mega Millions jackpot is now an estimated $1.15 billion, with a cash option of $516.1 million.
There were four big winners in Tuesday night's drawing. Tickets purchased in California, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wyoming all matched 5 for $1 million prizes.
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Mega Millions drawings are at 11 p.m. EST Tuesdays and Fridays. The next Mega Millions lottery drawing will be at 11 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, or the last weekend of 2024 and the last weekend before New Year's Eve.
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The last Mega Millions lottery streak started Friday, Sept. 13, one of two Friday the 13th "holidays" in 2024, after a ticket in Texas won $800 million for matching all five numbers and the Mega Ball. It took a little over three months for the $20 million jackpot to roll over to $800 million.
Below is a recap of lottery drawings for this latest streak and how the jackpot grew over time.
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Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega Millions site, players have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."
However, the site states, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
As of Dec. 24, 2024, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.
As of Dec. 24, 2024, there have been 12 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Mega Millions, Dec. 24, 2024, Christmas Eve jackpot in Top 10 ever