As the holidays approach, the Mega Millions jackpot is growing! After no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night, the estimated jackpot for next Tuesday, December 18, is $284 million ($167.9 million cash). The winning numbers for December 14 are the white balls 5, 22, 26, 43 and 49, plus the gold Mega Ball 23.

There were three tickets that matched the five white balls to win the game's second prize. Two included the optional Megaplier (available for an extra $1 purchase in most states), meaning their value is multiplied by four after the 4X Megaplier was drawn. These lucky winners in Indiana and New Mexico will have an extra special holiday season with $4 million prizes each.

The third Match 5 winning ticket, worth $1 million, was sold in New York.

In total there were 615,934 winning tickets in Friday night's drawing at all prize levels.

The jackpot has been growing since it was last won in South Carolina on October 23 at a whopping $1.537 billion. The winner of that record Mega Millions jackpot has not yet come forward.

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RELEASE DATE: 12/10/2018

(Baltimore) - Are you the lucky holder of a $1 Million Mega Millions ticket purchased in Maryland? If so, the Maryland Lottery is looking for you before the winning ticket expires on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

No one has stepped forward yet to claim the prize from the June 26 drawing. The winning numbers were 17, 25, 29, 39 and 60; the Mega Ball number was 19. Tantallon Exxon located at 10815 Indian Head Highway in Fort Washington, Md., sold the lucky ticket on the day of the drawing.

The winner should bring the ticket and required identification (listed at mdlottery.com/winners/how-to-claim) to the Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center at 1800 Washington Boulevard in Baltimore. Because the day the game expires falls on a state holiday, the winner must claim the prize by 4:15 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24.

This is the third $1 million winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Maryland in 2018. "Mega Money Mama" claimed the prize from the June 15 drawing and "Ravens Millionaire" claimed the prize from the Aug. 10 drawing. There was one $1 million Mega Millions winner in 2017 and four in 2016.

Since its inception in 1973, Maryland Lottery and Gaming has awarded more than $25.6 billion in prizes to Lottery players and more than $16 billion in Lottery revenue to the State of Maryland. One of Maryland's largest revenue sources, the Lottery supports important state programs and services including education, public safety and health, human resources and the environment. For more information, go to mdlottery.com. Please remember to play responsibly and within your budget. For confidential help or information about gambling problems, visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Media contact: Carole Bober Gentry, Maryland Lottery, (410) 230-8725

UPDATED

The Mega Millions jackpot was finally won on Tuesday night, and a single lucky ticket holder in South Carolina can claim a tremendous lottery jackpot – $1.537 billion ($878 million cash). The winning numbers for October 23 are the white balls the white balls 5, 28, 62, 65 and 70, plus the gold Mega Ball 5.

The history-making Mega Millions jackpot smashed the former Mega Millions record of $656 million set in March 2012, and is just shy of the $1.586 billion Powerball prize in January 2016 which was shared by three winning tickets.

"The moment we've been waiting for finally arrived, and we couldn't be more excited," said Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Group and Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming. "This is truly a historic occasion. We're so happy for the winner, and we know the South Carolina Education Lottery can't wait to meet the lucky ticket holder."

The jackpot had been rolling since July 24, when a California office pool of 11 co-workers shared a $543 million prize. Three other jackpots have been won this year – $451 million on January 5 (Florida), $533 million on March 30 (New Jersey), and $142 million on May 4 (Ohio).

In addition to the jackpot winner, the sales frenzy produced a whopping 36 second prize tickets – each matching the five white balls drawn Tuesday night. Eight were in California, four each in Florida and New York, two each in Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia, and one each in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The Texas winner and one of the Florida Match 5 winners included the optional Megaplier, so those two tickets are worth $3 million each.

For matching four white balls plus the Mega Ball, 419 tickets won the game's $10,000 third prize Tuesday night. Fifty-one of those are actually worth $30,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier.

In total, there were 15,750,013 winning tickets Tuesday night in addition to the jackpot winner. In this 26-draw jackpot run, beginning with the July 27 drawing there were more than 50.2 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 85 worth $1 million or more and the jackpot winner.

For the next drawing on Friday, October 26, the jackpot resets to its starting value of $40 million ($22.8 million cash).

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RELEASE DATE: 10/20/2018

A Mega Millions jackpot roll that had already made history has now reached a new world record.

With no jackpot winner in Friday night's drawing, the jackpot for the next drawing on Tuesday, Oct. 23 carries an estimated annuity value of $1.6 billion – a new world record. The estimated cash option is nearly $905 million.

At $1.6 billion, Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing slips past the $1.586 billion Powerball drawing on January 13, 2016, to become the largest lottery jackpot in history. Winners in California, Florida and Tennessee shared the record Powerball prize.

"Mega Millions has already entered historic territory, but it's truly astounding to think that now the jackpot has reached an all-time world record," said Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Group and Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming. "It's hard to overstate how exciting this is – but now it's really getting fun."

The previous record Mega Millions jackpot was $656 million, which was shared by winners in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland in the drawing on March 30, 2012.

The last Mega Millions jackpot hit was in the drawing held July 24, 2018, when a group of 11 co-workers in California shared a $543 million prize. There have been 25 drawings without a jackpot winner since then, but there have been more than 34.4 million winning tickets sold across the game's nine prize levels.

The winning numbers for the October 19 drawing were the white balls 15, 23, 53, 65 and 70, plus the gold Mega Ball 7. While there was no jackpot winner on Friday, there were 15 second-tier winning tickets of at least $1 million, sold in California, Florida, Illinois (two), Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (four), Texas (two, including one with the Megaplier for a $2 million prize) and Virginia (two). These tickets matched the five white balls but missed matching the Mega Ball.

Mega Millions tickets are $2 and are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Media contact: Carole Bober Gentry, Maryland Lottery, (410) 230-8725

See the brief history of Mega Millions with the top ten jackpots awarded to date.

The Mega Millions jackpot has soared past its previous record of $656 million, set on March 30, 2012, with an estimated $868 million ($494.5 million cash) up for grabs on Friday, October 19. The incredible jackpot comes after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 3, 45, 49, 61 and 69, plus the gold Mega Ball 9.

The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won on July 24, when a California office pool of 11 co-workers shared $543 million, the largest prize ever won on a single ticket in the game. Three other Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year – $451 million on January 5 (Florida), $533 million on March 30 (New Jersey), and $142 million on May 4 (Ohio).

There were plenty of winners Tuesday night as players from around the country jumped into the game at record levels. A total of 4,527,495 winning tickets at all prize levels came out of the October 16 drawing.

Nine tickets matched the five white balls to win the game's second prize. One of them, sold in Texas, included the optional Megaplier (available in most states for an extra $1 purchase) and is worth $5 million! The other eight are million-dollar tickets – two were sold in Pennsylvania and one each in California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey and New York.

One hundred tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for the $10,000 third prize; 12 of those are actually worth $50,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier.

In this current jackpot run, there have been more than 22 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 34 worth $1 million or more.

The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:

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RELEASE DATE: 10/16/2018

BALTIMORE - The Mega Millions jackpot has been climbing since late July, and today it has reached a new all-time high.

The estimated annuity value of the jackpot in tonight's Mega Millions drawing was raised today to $667 million, making it the largest in the game's history and third-largest in U.S. lottery jackpot history. The estimated cash value is $380 million.

The previous record jackpot in Mega Millions was a $656 million prize that was shared by winners from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland in March 2012.

"It's always a thrill to have both jackpots rolling, but there's an extra spark now with Mega Millions reaching a new record," said Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions Lead Director and Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director. "Everyone is talking about the jackpot and running out to buy tickets for tonight's drawing."

If there is no jackpot winner in tonight's Mega Millions drawing, the estimated annuity value for the Friday, Oct. 19 drawing will roll to $868 million, with an estimated cash value of $495 million.

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot for Wednesday's drawing has rolled to an estimated annuity of $345 million. The estimated cash value is $199 million.

All estimated jackpot amounts are before taxes.

The Mega Millions jackpot has been increasing since a group of 11 co-workers in Santa Clara County, Calif., shared a $543 million prize - the fourth-largest in the game's history - in the July 24 drawing. The current Powerball jackpot has been on the rise since a Staten Island, N.Y., man won a $245.6 million jackpot in the Aug. 11 drawing.

The largest Powerball jackpot was $1.586 billion, which was shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET. Tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball drawings are held Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. ET. Tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Media contact:  Carole Bober Gentry, Maryland Lottery, (410) 230-8725

RELEASE DATE: 10/15/2018

BALTIMORE – Autumn has arrived, but Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots that have been rising since the sweltering heat of mid-summer haven't cooled down. The two games have reached a combined jackpot total of $999 million.

The estimated annuity value of the jackpot in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing is $654 million, the second-largest in the game's history and fourth-largest in U.S. lottery jackpot history. It's just $2 million shy of the all-time record Mega Millions jackpot. The estimated cash value is $372 million.

"There's nothing quite like the excitement of dueling jackpots," said Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions Lead Director and Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director. "Lotteries are in the fun and games business, and who wouldn't have fun thinking about nearly a billion dollars in prizes? We love jackpot rolls, but we're also eager to find out who's going to win this historic Mega Millions jackpot."

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot for Wednesday has rolled to an estimated annuity of $345 million. The estimated cash value is $199 million. (Estimated jackpot amounts are before taxes).

"These are jackpots that inspire players' dreams: What would they do, whom would they tell, and how would they live if they won a huge jackpot? And dreams come true for all the state beneficiaries who receive proceeds from these great games," said David Barden, Powerball Product Group Chairman, and New Mexico Lottery CEO. "As the excitement continues to grow, remember to always play responsibly."

The current Mega Millions jackpot has been increasing since a group of 11 co-workers in Santa Clara County, Calif., shared a $543 million prize in the July 24 drawing. The current Powerball jackpot has been on the rise since a Staten Island, N.Y., man won a $245.6 million jackpot in the Aug. 11 drawing.

The largest Powerball jackpot was $1.586 billion, which was shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016.

The largest jackpot in Mega Millions history was a $656 million prize that was shared by winners from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland in March 2012.

Powerball drawings are held Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. ET.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET.

Media contacts:       

Carole Bober Gentry, Maryland Lottery, (410) 230-8725

Wendy Ahlm, New Mexico Lottery, (505) 342-7600

The current Mega Millions record jackpot – a $656 million prize on March 30, 2012 – may very well be history by next Tuesday, October 16. After no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night – the white balls 4, 24, 46, 61 and 70, plus the gold Mega Ball 7 – Tuesday's estimated jackpot is a whopping $654 million ($372.6 million cash). That amount would be the second-largest prize in the history of the game, and enthusiasm about the jackpot is escalating!

"It's so exciting for our players, and all of us, to see the Mega Millions jackpot getting so close to an all-time record level," said Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium and Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming. "With a little luck, we may still break that record by Tuesday. And there's even more fun with $862 million in combined jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball. Jackpot fever is definitely sweeping the country!"

The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won on July 24, when a California office pool of 11 co-workers shared $543 million, the largest prize ever won on a single ticket in the game. Three other Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year – $451 million on January 5 (Florida), $533 million on March 30 (New Jersey), and $142 million on May 4 (Ohio).

While the jackpot rolls, the game continues to produce winners at other prize levels. One ticket, sold in Arkansas, matched the five white balls Friday night to win the game's second prize. Because that ticket included the optional Megaplier (available in most states for an extra $1 purchase), it is worth $3 million instead of the standard $1 million after the 3x Megaplier was drawn. Fifty-five tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for the $10,000 third prize; seven of those are actually worth $30,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier.

In total, there were 2,651,183 winning tickets at all prize levels in the October 12 drawing. In this current jackpot run, there have been more than 17.5 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 25 worth $1 million or more.

The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:

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The third largest jackpot in Mega Millions history is on tap for Friday, October 12, with an estimated prize of $548 million ($309.2 million cash)! The jackpot has been growing since it was last won on July 24, and for the 22nd consecutive drawing there were no tickets matching all six numbers drawn. The winning numbers for October 9 are the white balls 20, 22, 39, 54 and 60, plus the gold Mega Ball 18. 

The jackpot is closing in on the record prize for the game, a whopping $656 million shared by winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland on March 30, 2012. Just behind that was a $648 million pot won in California and Georgia on December 17, 2013.

A California office pool of 11 co-workers shared the July 24 jackpot of $543 million, which is the largest prize ever won on a single ticket in the game. Three other jackpots have been won this year – $451 million on January 5 (Florida), $533 million on March 30 (New Jersey), and $142 million on May 4 (Ohio).

There were plenty of winners Tuesday night even as the jackpot remains elusive. Four tickets matched the five white balls to win the game's second prize; they were sold in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Thirty-seven tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for the $10,000 third prize; five of those are actually worth $30,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier (available in most states for an extra $1 purchase), which was 3x Tuesday night.

In total, there were 1,494,695 winning tickets at all prize levels in the October 9 drawing. In this current jackpot run, there have been more than 14.8 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 24 worth $1 million or more.

The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:

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The weather may be cooler as fall sets in, but Mega Millions is getting hotter! The sixth largest jackpot in the game's history will be up for grabs on Tuesday, October 9. The prize jumps to an estimated $470 million ($265.3 million cash) after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night – the white balls 27, 28, 32, 41 and 69, plus the gold Mega Ball 12.

While the jackpot rolls, there were still big winners Friday night. Two tickets matched the five white balls to win the game's second prize; they were sold in California and Kentucky. Thirty tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for the $10,000 third prize; three of those are actually worth $20,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier (available in most states for an extra $1 purchase), which was 2x Friday night.

In total, there were 1,357,503 winning tickets at all prize levels in the October 5 drawing. Since the last jackpot was won on July 24, there have been more than 13.3 million winning tickets at all prize levels, including 20 worth $1 million or more.

A California office pool of 11 co-workers shared the last Mega Millions jackpot won – a whopping $543 million prize on July 24, the third largest in the game's history and the largest ever won with a single ticket. Three other jackpots have been won this year – $451 million on January 5 (Florida), $533 million on March 30 (New Jersey), and $142 million on May 4 (Ohio).

The record Mega Millions jackpot of $656 million on March 30, 2012, was shared by winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. Just behind that is a $648 million pot won in California and Georgia on December 17, 2013.

The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:

Mega Millions media contacts