Mega Millions Climbs To $420 Million, Sparking Terrible Marijuana Puns Below
Tuesday night’s drawing will be the 20th since the last time a player hit the jackpot
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The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled up to a cool $420 million for Tuesday’s drawing, which, while not record-setting, is clearly a very, very, very high number.
This prize will surely draw in both casual players as well as people who are burning for a chance to win, as this is the kind of prize that can truly light up a life.
Many ticket-buyers will surely weed out distractions in an effort to win the jackpot and spark a lifetime of relaxation. Much like Snoop Dogg.
Very few lottery players will be able to (puff, puff) pass this opportunity up. The idea of not buying a ticket and watching this jackpot go up in smoke could be quite anxiety-inducing.
Bottom line? Well, $420 million is a lot of green, and if someone wins, they’ll probably be grinning from ear-to-ear for hours on end.
OK. Got that out of my system.
The fact of the matter is that no one won last Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, when the jackpot was an estimated $387 million, thus enabling the above ridiculousness. The numbers pulled Friday — 5, 17, 35, 55, and 69, with gold Mega Ball 19 — did yield a pair of million-dollar winners, however. One ticket matching all five white balls was sold in Missouri, the other in New York.
Lottery Geeks estimates some 16.7 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing, which turned out to be the 19th in a row without a 6-for-6 ticket. The jackpot has thus rolled over again to reach the aforementioned $420 million, if a winner selects a series of 30 annuity payments. The lump-sum cash value for Tuesday’s drawing is the decidedly less fun number of $191.7 million.
Now go buy yourself a ticket, Cheech. Get one for Chong too. And maybe a bag of Doritos since you’re up?
Powerball getting somewhat high as well
Nobody took down the Powerball jackpot Monday night — the winning numbers were 27, 31, 41, 52, and 69, with a red Powerball of 26 — and nobody hit the Match 5 either.
That makes 11 straight drawings without a grand prize winner, bringing Wednesday’s jackpot to an estimated $155 million, with a cash value of $71.3 million.
Lottery Geeks estimates 7.3 million tickets were sold for the Monday drawing.
Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1.
Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.
All-time biggest jackpots
Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
- $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
- $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
- $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
- $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
- $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
- $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
- $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
- $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
- $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California
And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:
- $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
- $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
- $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
- $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
- $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
- $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
- $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
- $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
- $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
- $558.1 million, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California