The winning numbers for Tuesday’s drawing in Atlanta, Georgia were 8, 10, 15, 17 and 57, with the Mega Ball 12 and the Megaplier 3x, according to the Mega Millions website.
Alas, nobody purchased a ticket that successfully matched all white numbers and the gold Mega Ball, meaning that the jackpot will roll over to the next drawing on Friday.
There were also no winners of the second biggest prize as no ticket purchased managed to match all five white balls. Tickets that match all numbers except for the Mega Ball secure a minimum payout of $1 million.
But there were 14 people who won at least $10,000 after correctly choosing four of the white balls and the gold Mega Ball. Three of those winners tripled their winnings to $30,000 because they also purchased the additional 3x Megaplier. In total, there were 427,111 tickets purchased that won at least $2 last night.
With the jackpot not being won, it now increases in size to roughly $68 million, with a cash option of $53.9 million, for the next drawing at 11pm E.T. on Friday, August 28.
The previous Mega Millions lottery before last night was held on Friday, August 21 when the top prize was $49 million. The winning numbers for that drawing were 11, 15, 31, 42 and 63 with the Mega Ball being 14 and the Megaplier 2x.
There were no jackpot winners in that drawing either, but two tickets sold in Illinois and Kentucky respectively matched all five white balls minus the gold Mega Ball to take home the $1 million second prize. The ticket bought in Illinois was purchased with the 2x Megaplier, meaning their winnings were doubled to $2 million.
The last time the jackpot was won was back on July 31, when a winning ticket purchased in California matched all numbers and the gold Mega Ball to scoop the $22 million top prize.
How does Mega Millions work?
Mega Millions, along with Powerball, is one of the most popular multi-state lotteries in the country. It launched on August 31, 1996 as “The Big Game.” Tickets are sold in 45 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The five states that don’t sell lottery tickets are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia by host John Crow.
Five white balls are drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 70, with one gold Mega Ball drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 25. With nine different ways to win a prize, your chances of winning at least $2 are 1 in 24, according to the Mega Millions website.
If you are a lucky winner, you will have between 90 days and one year to redeem your ticket, depending on local rules and regulations. All jackpot winners are entitled to either a cash option or an annuity option of an initial payout followed by 29 annual payments that are each 5 percent larger than the previous ones. All prizes are subject to income taxes.
Why is the Mega Millions prize so low?
Jackpots used to always start at $40 million, but from April 3 this has been reduced to $20 million. Minimum jackpot increases of $5 million for each roll were also eliminated.
A press release from the Mega Millions Consortium at the time said the changes “are in direct response to slowing sales during the current global pandemic.”
Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium, further explained the decision to KENS.
“Typical sales patterns have been altered because the current health crisis has required people to stay home. We are concerned, first and foremost, with everyone’s health and well-being. Meanwhile, these adjustments will allow the states and jurisdictions that sell Mega Millions tickets to continue generating much-needed revenue to support state budgets,” he said.
