A giant Mega Millions lottery jackpot ballooned to $1.02 billion after no one matched all six numbers Tuesday night and won the top prize.
Tuesday’s winning numbers were 07-29-60-63-66, with a Mega Ball of 15. The new estimated jackpot will be the nation’s fourth-largest lottery prize.
The current Mega Millions jackpot has grown so large because no one has matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15. That’s 29 consecutive drawings without a big winner.
“We look with anticipation on the growing jackpot,” says Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, current Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “Seeing the jackpot build over a period of months and reaching the billion-dollar mark is truly breathtaking. We encourage customers to keep play in balance and enjoy the ride. Someone is going to win.”
According to Mega Millions, this is the third time in its 20-year history that the jackpot has surpassed the $1 billion mark. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is coordinated by state lotteries.
The top jackpot of $1.586 billion came in a Powerball drawing on Jan. 13, 2016. That's followed by Mega Millions jackpots of $1.537 billion won Oct. 23, 2018, in South Carolina, and $1.050 billion won Jan. 22, 2021, in Michigan.
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So far, the biggest Mega Millions jackpots this year were was $426 million, won Jan. 28 in California; — followed by $128 million, March 8 won in New York March 8; and $110 million won, April 12, in Minnesota April 12.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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