Mega Millions Jackpot Fast Facts
JPEG and EPS images of Iowa playslips and tickets in the Mega Millions game, the game logo, and images of people buying tickets at a lottery self-service kiosk are available on the lottery website here:
https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/Pressroom/LAP_GameLogos.aspx
https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/Pressroom/LAP_CorporateLogos.aspx.
The giant Mega Millions® jackpot continues to climb, now at an estimated $1.22 billion annuity, $549.7 million lump-sum option, for Friday night's drawing.
With no jackpot winner in the game's last drawing on Tuesday, the Mega Millions jackpot kept going and is now the fifth-largest prize in the history of the game and the ninth-largest jackpot in any U.S. lottery game.
The current Mega Millions jackpot has been growing for nearly four months. It was last won on Sept. 10. The game's drawings occur at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Latest Winning Numbers, Iowa Sales and Prizes
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 30,927 prizes in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing. The winning numbers that night were: 11-14-38-45-46 and Mega Ball 3. The Megaplier® number was 3.
Three Iowa tickets were one number away from having at least a share of the jackpot and won $10,000 each. They matched four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball.
The $10,000-winning tickets were purchased at:
- Smokin' Joe's, 1606 W. Locust St. in Davenport
- Hy-Vee, 812 S. First Ave. in Iowa City
- Casey's, 516 Rossville Road in Waukon.
Iowa Lottery players bought more than $1.7 million in Mega Millions tickets for Tuesday's drawing. But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about three plays, or $6 per ticket. Lottery officials were pleased that a lot of people had fun playing and didn't go overboard.
Easy Picks vs. Your Own Numbers
The vast majority of tickets purchased in games like Mega Millions are easy-pick plays, meaning that the lottery terminal assigns the numbers printed on the ticket. About 94 percent of the Iowa plays for Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing were easy picks.
But players also can choose their own numbers. They choose five numbers from a pool of 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from a separate pool of 25 for the yellow Mega Ball.
It's Been A While Since The Last $1 Billion+ Jackpot
If it seems like it's been a while since there had been a jackpot of more than $1 billion, that's because it has.
Prior to the current Mega Millions jackpot, it had been eight months since the last time a U.S. jackpot had topped the $1 billion mark. That Powerball® jackpot of $1.33 billion was won on April 6. The last Mega Millions jackpot to climb higher than $1 billion was a $1.13 billion prize won on March 26.
There were four U.S. jackpots of more than $1 billion in calendar year 2023, but the current jackpot is just the third in 2024. That demonstrates the random nature of the games: You never know when the next big win will hit.
There Now Have Been 12 U.S. Jackpots of More Than $1 Billion
With the current Mega Millions jackpot included, there now have been a dozen U.S. jackpots of more than $1 billion. All have been in the Powerball and Mega Millions games.
Recap On How To Play
When the jackpot really gets up there like it is now, a lot of first-time and occasional players jump in to buy tickets. Office pools and people buying tickets with friends and family also see a spike.
The simplest way to buy a ticket is to ask a clerk at a store for an easy-pick play in Mega Millions. The lottery terminal will select the numbers for that play and print out the ticket.
For more details, the Iowa Lottery keeps how-to-play videos available on its website here: https://ialottery.com/Pages/Multimedia/HowToPlay.aspx.
The lottery also has reminders to help keep lottery group play fun and hassle-free available here: https://ialottery.com/Pages/PlayerSecurity/GroupPlayReminders.aspx.
The Deadline To Buy
Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions drawing is 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won't be in the running for that night's giant prize.
Play Healthy
The Iowa Lottery reminds players to enjoy the moment, but remember that you are gambling when you buy tickets. There is no guarantee that you'll win. Playing the lottery is something that should be done just for fun.
The lottery keeps these and other "Play Smart, Be Informed" details on its website to help everyone have an accurate understanding of how the lottery works: https://www.ialottery.com/Pages/PlaySmartBeInformed/PlaySmartBeInformed_main.aspx.
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