How Much Is the Next Mega Millions Jackpot Worth, and When Is the Next Drawing?

The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow, as the latest winning ticket could be worth an estimated $1.22 billion by the time of the next drawing. Following Tuesday’s drawing, the estimated Mega Millions grand prize was listed at $1.15 billion, but ticket sales appear to have exceeded expectations.

If someone were to win the jackpot, it would be the fifth-largest Mega Millions prize in the game’s history. The cash option for the Dec. 27, 2024 drawing is worth $549.7 million.

The official Mega Millions press site reports that during the Dec. 24 drawing alone, there were 4,292,338 winning tickets across all non-jackpot prize levels. Four tickets matched the five white balls for the game’s second-tier prize, and they were sold in California, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming.

In total, 106 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. Thirteen of those monetary prizes are worth $30,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier, which was 3X Tuesday night. The other 93 won $10K each.  

“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” said Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”

Mega Millions Only Had 3 Big Winners in 2024

The Mega Millions jackpot has surged to $1.22 billion — and a winner could take home the fifth largest prize in Mega Millions history. https://t.co/T2l6vwig2u pic.twitter.com/bnTq8Jjqfd

— ABC News (@ABC) December 27, 2024

Mega Millions has only produced three winners in 2024. This is a highly unusual pattern for the large-scale lottery game.

2024 was the year with the fewest wins since the game began in 2002. However, in 2023, there were 10 jackpots won, the most in a single year since 2013.

Mega Millions drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Five balls are drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 70; the Mega Ball is drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 25. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302 million. The largest prize was awarded last year to a single winner from Florida, whose ticket cashed in on a $1.6 billion jackpot.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2 each. Half of the proceeds from the sale of each Mega Millions ticket remain in the state where the ticket was sold, where it supports designated good causes and retailer commissions.