LOTTERY
What are the winning numbers for Friday’s $85 million Mega Millions jackpot?
After the huge jackpot just one month ago, the Mega Millions jackpot is slowly creeping back up.
Mega Millions had a sensational $1.58 billion winner at the beginning of August. It beat the previous record of $1.54 billion set in October 2018. In the lottery’s 27-year history, the top prize has risen above the $1 billion mark just five times.
We’re back near the beginning with a far more modest prize of $85 million.
What are the winning numbers for Friday 1 September?
The winning numbers for will be released at 11 p.m. ET.
What are the biggest Mega Millions jackpots ever?
The current jackpot is only the fifth to have exceeded the $1 billion mark in Mega Millions history, and at its present size would be the second-highest to be won since the lottery began.
“There’s always an air of excitement around the country when Mega Millions jackpots soar,” Gretchen Corbin, the lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said. “The growing jackpot is a source of entertainment and winnings for players while generating important dollars for the good causes supported by each lottery.”
The largest ever Mega Millions jackpot win was in October 2018, when a player in South Carolina claimed a $1.537 billion prize.
At a glance: the five $1bn-plus Mega Millions jackpots
- $1.537 billion: won on 23 October 2018
- $1.35 billion: ongoing
- $1.348 billion: won on 13 January 2023
- $1.337 billion: won on 29 July 2022
- $1.05 billion: won on 22 January 2021
Mega Millions: how to play
A ticket costs $2. To play, you have to choose six numbers from two separate pools: five ‘white’ numbers between 1 and 70, plus a ‘Mega Ball’ number from 1 to 25. To secure the jackpot, all six numbers must match those that are drawn.
Jackpot winners can receive their money in annual instalments (the annuity option) or as a lump sum (the cash option). While annuity recipients get the jackpot in full, those who opt to be paid up front are given a smaller sum. Winnings are pre-tax amounts.
Smaller cash prizes are also available for players who correctly guess some, but not all, of the numbers drawn. In some states, players can pay an extra $1 to multiply non-jackpot winnings by two, three, four or five times, depending on the ‘Megaplier’ number selected before the draw itself.
Mega Millions: prizes and odds of winning
- Five balls and the Mega Ball – jackpot (1 in 302,575,350 chance)
- Five balls - $1,000,000 (1 in 12,607,306)
- Four balls and the Mega Ball - $10,000 (1 in 931,001)
- Four balls - $500 (1 in 38,792)
- Three balls and the Mega Ball – $200 (1 in 14,547)
- Three balls - $10 (1 in 606)
- Two balls and the Mega Ball - $10 (1 in 693)
- One ball and the Mega Ball - $4 (1 in 89)
- The Mega Ball - $2 (1 in 37)
Where in the US can you play Mega Millions?
Tickets are sold in every state in the US except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. You can also play in the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Mega Millions draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11pm ET/8pm PT.