One lucky lottery player may receive a big gift on Christmas Eve: the Mega Millions jackpot is nearly $1 billion.
Tuesday’s drawing is about $970 million, or $439.9 million in cash, according to the lottery. The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won for $810 million in Texas on September 10.
No ticket matched all six numbers during the last one friday night drawingwith the white balls 2, 20, 51, 56 and 67, plus the golden Mega Ball 19.
Only 13 Mega Millions jackpots have been won in December since the game began in 2022. If someone wins on Tuesday, it would be just the second Mega Millions win on Christmas Eve. Someone won a $68 million jackpot in New York on Christmas Eve 2002, but that prize went unclaimed.
Very few Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year. It has only won three times, which is the fewest wins in a year since the game began. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
The current jackpot would be the seventh largest ever, according to Mega Millions. Last year, a winning player in Florida won the the biggest prize in history, winning $1.602 billion in an August 8 drawing.
Mega Millions tickets are available in 45 of the 50 US states, plus Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 per play. Drawings are held at 11pm EST on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Beware of lottery scams
People who want to play the lottery should be careful lottery scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, lottery scams usually involve receiving a call, email or letter saying you’ve won a drawing, lottery or prize. Some scams may ask people to pay money to access their winnings.
Mega Millions says no lottery representative would ever call, text or email anyone to win a prize. The game also notes that large jackpots attract the attention of potential scammers.
“Although people have to be alert at all times, yes especially true during larger prize periods,” according to the lottery website.
Changes are coming to Mega Millions
Mega Millions tickets are getting more expensive next year. It will cost $5 per play starting in April 2025, more than double the current $2 per ticket.
The ticket price change will result in bigger jackpots and better odds of winning, according to Mega Millions. The April change will mark the second price increase since Mega Millions launched.
“We’re creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and be excited to play,” said Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, when the news was announced. “We expect more billion dollar jackpots than ever before, meaning more billionaires and many more millionaires as the jackpots grow, plus this game will continue the important legacy of supporting great causes everywhere where Mega Millions is played.”