The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is advertised outside a smoke shop in the Bushwick neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The payoff for Tuesday night's drawing is an estimated $810 million, the nation's fourth-largest jackpot. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Republished July 26, 2022 - 11:00 PM
Original Publication Date July 26, 2022 - 8:46 PM
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A giant Mega Millions lottery jackpot ballooned to $1.02 billion after no one matched all six numbers Tuesday night and won the top prize.
The new estimated jackpot will be the nation’s fourth-largest lottery prize.
The jackpot has grown so large because no one has matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15. That’s 29 consecutive drawings without a big winner.
Tuesday’s numbers were: 07-29-60-63-66, Mega Ball: 15.
The $1.02 billion prize is for winners who choose the annuity option, paid annually over 30 years. Most winners opt for the cash option, which for the next drawing Friday night is an estimated $602.5 million.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is coordinated by state lotteries.
News from © The Associated Press, 2022