Mega Millions jackpot for Friday night at $645 million, the lottery's largest year-end prize ever
Someone could finish off 2022 by winning a hefty Mega Millions jackpot.
The jackpot for Friday's drawing has grown to an estimated $645 million, with a cash option of $347.8 million, according to the Mega Millions website. It's the sixth-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever and the largest in the final week of any year, the lottery said.
The jackpot, now the 13th-largest in U.S. lottery history, was last won on Oct. 14 when lottery players in California and Florida split a $494 million jackpot. No one matched all six numbers on Tuesday, but five tickets matched all five white balls to win $1 million.
Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot is at $246 million with a cash option of $128.5 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing, according to the Powerball website.
Mega Millions: What the jackpot winner should do next: Stay quiet, hire financial team
When is next Mega Millions drawing?
Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. EST.
How do I play Mega Millions?
The cost is $2 a ticket, but you can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot).
Each player selects five numbers from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball. You can also have the lottery machine generate a random Quick Pick for you.
Prizes vary from $2 for matching the Mega Ball to the jackpot for matching all six balls. In California, all prizes are pari-mutuel, meaning that they are shared among the total number of winners at each prize level. You can check all the prize payouts on the Mega Millions site here.
You don't need to be a U.S. citizen or a resident of a particular state where you purchase your ticket.
Where can I play Mega Millions?
You can play the game in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states that don't offer Mega Millions are: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Many grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores sell lottery tickets. Some states allow Mega Millions tickets to be purchased online, but beware of scam websites. Check with your state lottery for more details.
What is deadline for buying Mega Millions tickets?
States have different deadlines and can be more than an hour before the drawing. Check with your local lottery so you don't miss out.
What are my odds of winning?
Playing the Mega Millions may be be exciting, but just don't go spending those millions before you win.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350 to 1.
The odds to match all five white balls are 12,607,306 to 1.
What does cash option mean?
The major lotteries in the United States offer two jackpot payout options: annuity and cash.
The annuity option is paid out over time. There is an immediate payment and then 29 annual payments after that, increasing by 5% each year.
The cash option is significantly lower than the advertised jackpot, but it is paid in a lump sum. You don't have to wait decades for all the money.
What was biggest Mega Millions jackpot?
Here are the Top 10 jackpots ever since the Mega Millions began in 1996:
$1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
$1.337 billion: July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
$1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
$656 million, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland.
$648 million, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia.
$645 million, Dec. 30, 2022.
$543 million, July 24, 2018: Won in California.
$536 million, July 8, 20116: Won in Indiana.
$533 million: March 30, 2018: Won in New Jersey.
$522 million: June 7, 2019: Won in California.
What was largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever?
Here's a look at the top jackpots won in the United States, between the Powerball and the Mega Millions lotteries:
$1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee.
$1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
$1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
$1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
$768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin.
$758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts.
$730 million,, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland.
$699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California.
$687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018: Two winners in Iowa, New York.
$656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland.
$648 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia.
$645 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 30, 2022.
$632.6 million, Powerball, Jan. 5, 2022: Two winners in California, Wisconsin.
$590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013: Won in Florida.
$587.5 million, Powerball, Nov. 28, 2012: Two winners in Arizona, Missouri.
$564.1 million, Powerball, Feb. 11, 2015: Three winners in North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas.
$543 million, Mega Millions, July 24, 2018: Won in California.
$536 million, Mega Millions, July 8, 20116: Won in Indiana.
$533 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2018: Won in New Jersey.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Mega Millions $645M jackpot is lottery's largest year-end prize ever
