Mega Millions jackpot soars to $1.25 billion with no big winner yet

The Mega Millions jackpot soared to an estimated $1.25 billion Tuesday after no winner matched all six numbers – for the 15th consecutive week.

The winning numbers drawn late on Tuesday were 8, 24, 30, 45, 61, plus the gold ball 12.

The next time players will be able to try their luck will be Friday when a winning ticket could become the game’s fourth-largest prize in history, Mega Millions officials say.

If a sole winner emerges, that player will have the option to be paid the full amount in an annuity over 29 years, or receive the lump sum cash prize, which is estimated at $625.3 million.

The near-historic amount is the result of 30 winless drawings – and players’ less-than-ideal chances. The odds of winning the grand prize are 1 in 302.6 million, according to the lottery.

The last time a ticket matched all six numbers was on April 18 in New York.

In January, a lucky player in Maine managed to beat the odds – and the supposed bad luck associated with a Friday the 13th drawing – to win a sweet $1.35 billion.

However, the winner of the largest lottery prize in U.S. history was a Powerball player in California who won $2.04 billion in November 2022.

Mega Millions is the only lottery game that has awarded four jackpots exceeding $1 billion: in 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Tickets for the game – which is played in 45 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands – cost $2.