July 26 (UPI) — The Mega Millions jackpot inched closer to the $1 billion mark after no contestants matched the winning five numbers and Mega ball on Tuesday’s drawing.
The prize now stands at $910 million, the fifth largest total ever in the history of the game, while marking the third time in the past year that the total jackpot has soared to such heights.
The current jackpot has a cash payout of $464.2 million. The next drawing will be on Friday.
“The jackpot is on the verge of $1 billion, a level it has surpassed four times in the past, most recently last January,” Mega Millions said in a statement. “Friday’s drawing will be the 29th in this current roll, which began after the jackpot was last won in New York on April 18.”
On Tuesday, players came up empty in trying to match the numbers 3, 5, 6, 44 and 61, plus the gold Mega ball 25. Two tickets, though, did match all five white balls to win a hefty second-tier prize.
One ticket that matched those numbers in Texas, won $4 million because it included the optional Megaplier, available in most states with an extra $1 purchase. The other ticket, which was sold in Maryland, was worth the standard $1 million.
“Across the country, 54 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize,” Mega Millions said. “Seven of those tickets are worth $40,000 each because they also included the optional Megaplier. The other 47 win the standard $10,000 each.”
Recent winners of jackpots that surpassed $1 billion include a player in Illinois who captured a $1.337 billion jackpot on July 29, 2022, while Mega Millions gave away a $1.348 billion total on Jan. 13.
Powerball, the country’s other lottery game, saw a contestant in California win its $1.08 billion jackpot last Wednesday, the third-largest total in that game’s history. Powerball’s next drawing is Wednesday with a new total of $41 million.
