Americans who are still holding onto the dream of receiving an exceptionally grand Christmas gift have the opportunity to keep that dream alive by participating in the Mega Millions drawing on Friday. The jackpot is estimated to be worth a staggering $1.15 billion.
This upcoming jackpot could potentially rank as the fifth largest in the history of the Mega Millions game. Each Mega Millions ticket costs $2. However, the likelihood of winning the jackpot stands at 1 in 302,575,350, while the odds of winning any prize in the Mega Millions game are 1 in 24, as stated by lottery officials.
Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Here is a look at the largest U.S. jackpots won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket, from Florida)
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
6. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
8. $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024 (one ticket, Oregon)
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024 (one ticket, from New Jersey)
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
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