CLIVE – Tonight’s big Mega Millions estimated jackpot is now approaching $670 million and you have until 8:59 PM to buy your tickets.
“The drawing is at 10 PM,” the Iowa Lottery proclaimed today, remarking on the incredible opportunity to escape the doldrums of living paycheck to paycheck.
“Good luck!!!”
Friday the 13th may be considered unlucky by many, but seven times in Mega Millions history, a jackpot has been won on the day known for pervasive superstitions. There’s a chance for an eighth, as the big prize rolls again after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 12, 14, 26, 48 and 52, plus the gold Mega Ball 21. Edging closer to the magic $1 billion mark, the jackpot for Friday, December 13, is an estimated $670 million ($317.8 million cash). If won at that level, it would be the eighth largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
The last Mega Millions jackpot won on a Friday the 13th was on January 13, 2023, when a giant $1.348 billion prize was won in Maine. That is still the third-largest jackpot in the game’s history. Michigan has been particularly lucky on the unlucky day, with four winning jackpots over the years: June 2008 ($57 million), May 2011 ($27 million), June 2014 ($66 million), and one at $42 million in October 2017 (shared with Rhode Island). The remaining two Friday the 13th jackpots won were in New York in March 2009 ($26 million) and in Ohio in November 2015 ($202 million).
As the jackpot continues to grow, there are plenty of winners in the game’s eight other prize tiers. In the December 10 drawing alone, there were a total of 1,168,722 winning tickets at all prize levels. Four tickets matched the five white balls for the game’s second-tier prize. One, sold in Florida, is worth $5 million because it included the optional Megaplier (available in most states with an extra $1 purchase), which was 5X Tuesday night. The other three second-tier prizes were won in California (two) and Maryland.
Around the country, 29 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. Six of those are worth $50,000 each because they also included the optional Megaplier; the other 23 take home the standard $10,000 each.
In the 26 drawings of this current jackpot run that began on Friday, September 13, there have been more than 16.5 million winning tickets sold. These include 42 second-tier prizes of $1 million or more, won in 18 different jurisdictions from coast to coast: California, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won in Texas on September 10 for a prize of $810 million. Before that, the jackpot had been won on just two earlier occasions this year. First was a $1.128 billion prize in New Jersey on March 26, followed by $552 million awarded to an online player in Illinois on June 4. That was the largest lottery prize ever won from an online purchase. No one has yet come forward to claim the big New Jersey jackpot; that ticket will expire if not claimed by March 26, 2025, and the unpaid prize will revert back to each participating Mega Millions jurisdiction.