Mega Millions ticket holders hoping to win the billion-dollar jackpot are in for a blue Christmas.
No one matched all six numbers in Tuesday’s drawing as the lottery’s grand prize soared to $1.15 billion, the fifth-largest prize in the game’s history.
Tuesday’s winning numbers were 11, 14, 38, 45, 46 and Mega Ball 3.
Four players from California, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wyoming matched five white balls for $1 million, but missed out on the coveted gold ball to win the top prize on Christmas Eve.
According to the lottery, more than 4.2 million ticket holders won prizes in the drawing.
“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would be if you ended up with a ticket worth $1.15 billion,” said Joshua Johnston, Senior Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. said.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the winter solstice or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping make dreams come true that come with a price like this. and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”
Jackpot aspirants also have the chance to win an estimated $516.1 million cash prize before the next drawing on Friday.
The staggering jackpot has grown since a lucky winner from Texas took home a mind-boggling $810 million in September.
Before Tuesday night’s drawing, Patel, an employee at the Queens Deli, estimated he sold more than 100 tickets on Christmas Eve.
“It’s a lot, it’s very busy,” the 22-year-old, who works part-time at Forest Deli in Ridgewood, told the Post.
“Of course they want to make a billion dollars. They say, “I’ll give it to charity” and “give it to you” as well. I am also happy for my customers. If my client wins, I’m happy.
A winner Friday will mark the seventh in gaming history when a jackpot of more than $1 billion has been won.
Previous winners were South Carolina in October 2018 ($1.537 billion), Michigan in January 2021 ($1.050 billion), Illinois in July 2022 ($1.337 billion), Maine in January 2023 ($1.348 billion dollars) and Florida in August 2023. ($1.602 billion), and more recently in New Jersey in March 2024 ($1.128 billion).
It took nine months for the New Jersey winner to come forward and claim the sixth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
The unidentified winner – who will remain anonymous – submitted the golden ticket worth $1.128 billion to begin the collection process, NBC New York reported Monday.
Tickets to play Mega Millions are $2 with drawings at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia.
The odds of winning $1 billion are one in 302,575,350.
