Mega Millions jackpot grows to $465 million. Here's how to play in tonight's drawing

Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
·3 min read
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No one won the Mega Millions jackpot on Friday, so the pot has grown again.

The Mega Millions jackpot is now $465 million, or $250.4 million in cash.

The next drawing is Tuesday at 11 p.m. You can purchase a ticket until 10:45 p.m. to have a chance at winning.

One winner in California claimed a $1 million prize on Friday. In October, a $502 million jackpot was won by ticketholders in San Jose, California, and Fort Myers, Florida.

Here's everything you need to know when playing the Mega Millions jackpot.

When is the Mega Millions drawing in Ohio?

Drawings are every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. The next drawing is this Tuesday, Dec. 20.

What's the Mega Millions jackpot?

The estimated jackpot is now $465 million, or $250.4 million in cash.

Mega Millions payout

Tickets to Mega Millions cost $2 per play.

There are nine total ways to win a prize, from the jackpot to $2.

Players can pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers: five different numbers from the white balls numbered 1-70 and one number from the gold balls numbered 1-25.

  • 5 + 1 = Jackpot

  • 5 + 0 = $1 million

  • 4 + 1 = $10,000

  • 4 + 0 = $500

  • 3 + 1 = $200

  • 3 + 0 = $10

  • 2 + 1+ $10

  • 1 + 1 = $4

  • 0 + 1 = $2

You win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.

You can either pick your lucky numbers yourself, or select Easy Pick or Quick Pick and have the numbers auto drawn. If you can't make up your mind, Mega Millions' website has a random number generator.

The latest winning numbers drawn Friday were 8, 35, 40, 53 and 56. The Megaball was 11 and the Megaplier was 3X.

What's the Megaplier?

Most states offer the Megaplier feature, which increases non-jackpot prizes from two, three, four and five times.

It costs an additional $1 per play.

Before each regular Mega Millions drawing, the Megaplier is drawn. From a pool of 15 balls, five are marked with "2X," three with "4X" and one with "5X."

What are the odds of winning Mega Millions jackpot?

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about 1 in 303 million, and the odds of winning the $1 million prize are 1 in 12.6 million.

The overall chance of winning any prize are 1 in 24.

Where to buy Mega Millions tickets

You can play Mega Millions in 47 localities: 45 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To find locations, search the Mega Millions website.

In Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, you can buy a Mega Millions ticket at gas stations, convenience stores and supermarkets until 10:45 p.m. on drawing night.

In Kentucky, residents can also purchase tickets online at Kylottery.com.

In Ohio, residents can use Lottery Card available in Kroger, Buehler’s Fresh Foods and Giant Eagle stores. It allows Ohio consumers to enter draw games on their phones and get notified and paid electronically if they win.

What happens if I win Mega Millions?

Congratulations! If you're the lucky winner, Mega Millions offers two options. You can either take the annuity, which pays out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous.

There's also the cash option, a one-time, lump sum payment equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mega Millions jackpot grows to $465 million. Here's how to play