The Mega Millions jackpot is nearly $1 billion before the Christmas Eve drawing.
The Jackpot reached $944 million after there was no winner Friday night. If won, it would be the largest Mega Millions prize ever won in December and the seventh largest in Mega Millions history.
The draw will take place this Tuesday at 11 p.m. Tickets cost $2 each and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
“Thirteen Mega Millions prizes have been won during December since the game began in 2002, but only once has it been won on Christmas Eve,” Mega Millions said in a press release. “This was the first year of the game, but the $68. million prize won in New York on December 24, 2002, was ultimately unclaimed.”
Unclaimed jackpots return to participating states based on their contribution to sales. The funds are then distributed as defined by the lottery legislation of each jurisdiction.
But just because the jackpot prize hasn’t been won since September 10, doesn’t mean smaller prizes haven’t been won.
Since then, more than 125 Mega Millions prizes have been won in Massachusetts. On December 13, he won a $1 million prize after buying a ticket at Ghafour Fuel in Norwood.
The Massachusetts State Lottery release a complete list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.
So far, the the largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts this year it was worth a million dollars a year for life.
The prize was from the lottery”Millions of life” scratch card game. The The winner claimed their prize through a trust on July 10 and opted to receive a one-time payment of $15.4 million.