Check if your Mega Millions ticket matches the numbers drawn for the Friday jackpot worth $166 million. Could you potentially be the next big winner?
The Mega Millions lottery, a popular multi-state game in the United States, has undergone some changes effective in 2025. The updates include improved odds for the jackpot, higher starting jackpots, and automatic multipliers on non-jackpot prizes.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot, which involves matching all five numbers plus the Mega Ball, have slightly improved. The new odds are approximately 1 in 290,472,336, a slight improvement from the previous 1 in 302 million.
One of the key changes is the starting jackpot amount, which is now set at $50 million annuitized. This figure grows with each drawing without a jackpot winner. Winners can choose between receiving their winnings as an annuity, paid in annual installments over about 30 years, or a cash lump sum option, a smaller one-time payment. For instance, a $110 million jackpot would result in a $66.9 million cash payout.
Each ticket costs $5 per play and includes a built-in multiplier (Megaplier) of 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X. This multiplier automatically multiplies non-jackpot winnings. The game requires selecting 5 numbers from 1 to 70, plus a Mega Ball number from 1 to 24.
Non-jackpot prizes range from $5 up to $1 million, and multiplier boosts can increase these prizes up to 10 times. However, multipliers do not affect the jackpot itself. The overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 23.
The Mega Millions lottery is offered in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game takes place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. To participate, one must purchase tickets and choose six numbers from two separate pools of numbers. Players can also opt for the Easy Pick option to let the computer randomly select their numbers.
The Mega Millions jackpot is currently estimated at $166 million. If no one wins the jackpot in the current drawing, the jackpot will climb higher for the next drawing. The jackpot rose after a $344 million prize was won on March 25, 2023.
Players win the Mega Millions jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing. The cash option for the Mega Millions jackpot is approximately $75.2 million. The Mega Millions lottery was created in 1996, combining the existing games Megabucks and The Big Game. It is a well-loved lottery game in the United States.
In the overhauled Mega Millions lottery, the odds of winning the jackpot have improved slightly, now being approximately 1 in 290,472,336, making it a bit more challenging yet rewarding than before. The game of casino-and-gambling and lotteries hosts a variety of prizes, including big-wins, such as the Mega Millions jackpot, which can reach as high as $166 million and offers a cash lump sum option of around $75.2 million for the lucky winner.
