There was a top prize of $191 million and a cash option of $138 million on offer, but did anyone take home the big prize?
According to the Mega Millions website, no ticket matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball to win the big one, which means the jackpot continues to grow.
For Tuesday’s drawing, it will jump to $208 million with a cash option of $150 million.
No one got all five numbers to take home a $1 million prize either. However, there were 12 winners of the $10,000 prize for those who matched four numbers and the Mega Ball. Four of them doubled their winnings by using the Megaplier.
There were also 342 players who won $500 by matching four numbers, 66 of whom doubled their prize to $1,000 with the Megaplier.
Some 942 players won $200 by matching three numbers and the Mega Ball, with 190 players winning $400 by using the Megaplier. Over 593,000 tickets won prizes of at least $2.
While no top prizes were won on Friday, there have been some big winners recently.
In July, a five-member group claimed a jackpot prize they had won in May, receiving $254,233,980 after federal and state taxes.
A single ticket sold in Illinois took the top prize of $55 million ($38 million cash) in June and there have been four jackpot winners so far this year, compared with five for the whole of 2020.
How Does Mega Millions work?
Mega Millions has been one of the most popular multi-state lotteries in the country since it launched in 1996.
People can buy tickets in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states which do not sell lottery tickets are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
A ticket is bought from a licensed lottery retailer for $2 and players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1.
The jackpots begin at $20 million, while other prizes pay from $1 million to $2 million or more with a Megaplier.
Players choose five numbers ranging from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 25 for the gold numbers. Numbers can be randomly selected via the Easy Pick or Quick Pick options.
The top prize can either be claimed as an annuity or as cash. An annuity is a one-off payment followed by 29 annual payments, with each payment worth five percent more than the previous one.
Those taking cash option get a one-time, lump-sum payment equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.
In the drawings held on Tuesday and Friday at WSB-TV in Atlanta, five white balls are taken from a set numbered 1 through 70. One gold Mega Ball is drawn from a set numbered 1 through 25.
There are nine different ways to win a prize and the chances of winning at least $2 are estimated at 1 in 24.
