The United States is in the midst of Lottery Fever, as the Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday reached an all-time US record of $1.6 billion.
The winning numbers on Tuesday were:
28-70-5-62-65 and the Mega Ball was 5.
Winning Tuesday's entire jackpot means either taking the $1.6 billion winnings in annuity payments spread over 29 years, or taking the lump sum of $913 million.
It should be known by early Wednesday morning whether there was a winner in Tuesday's 44-state lottery. If no one picked all six numbers, Friday's jackpot will jump to an estimated $2 billion.
Only one other jackpot in U.S. history has surpassed the $1 billion mark. That jackpot was via the Powerball lottery on Jan. 13, 2016, and that drawing was worth $1.586 billion. In that instance, three winners split the massive jackpot.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been building since July 27 when a winning ticket was sold in California.
Mega Millions is played in every state except Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada, Utah, Mississippi and Alabama. The odds of drawing all six numbers in Mega Millions are 1 in nearly 302 million.
Participants in the lottery pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers from Nos. 1 to 70 and one number (for the Mega Ball) from Nos. 1 to 25.
Although you likely did not draw every single number, you could still be a winner. Selecting the Mega Ball is worth $2. If you get all five white numbers correct without hitting the Mega Ball, a ticket is worth $1 million.
Here is a breakdown of all the Mega Millions prizes:
- All five numbers and the Mega Ball: Jackpot
- All five white numbers without the Mega Ball: $1 million
- Four white numbers plus the Mega Ball: $10,000
- Four white numbers: $500
- Three white numbers plus the Mega Ball: $200
- Three white numbers: $10
- Two white numbers plus the Mega Ball: $10
- One white number plus the Mega Ball: $4
- Match the Mega Ball: $2
Mega Millions is not the only lottery out there that carries a large jackpot. Powerball's jackpot on Wednesday is the sixth-most in US history at an estimated $620 million.
Take a look at the list below for the largest jackpots in U.S. history, according to the Arizona Lottery:
| Rank | Amount | Date | Lottery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.6 billion (estimated) | 10/23/18 | Mega Millions |
| 2 | $1.586 billion | 1/13/16 | Powerball |
| 3 | $758.7 million | 8/23/17 | Powerball |
| 4 | $656 million | 3/30/12 | Mega Millions |
| 5 | $648 million | 12/17/13 | Mega Millions |
6 |
$620 million (estimated) | 10/24/18 | Powerball |
| 7 | $590.5 million | 5/18/13 | Powerball |
| 8 | $587.5 million | 11/28/12 | Powerball |
| 9 | $564.1 million | 2/11/15 | Powerball |
| 10 | $559.7 million |
1/6/18 | Powerball |
Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk.Follow him on Twitter @jjboggs or on Facebook.
