Mega Millions jackpot: When is the next drawing and where can you buy tickets?

The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow after Friday’s drawing produced no winner, pushing the jackpot to $178 million for Friday’s draw. If you decide to take the cash option, you will be paid a $79.6 million.

The draw is held at 11 p.m. ET, and if won, it would represent the fifth-largest gaming prize and the largest since the $1.3 billion prize was won in Maine in January 2023. The largest ever prize won was a staggering $1.537 billion paid out in South Carolina back in October 2018. As the jackpot grows, so do ticket sales leading one’s already small chances of winning to chances of winning decrease even further.

How to buy Mega Millions tickets

Mega Millions lottery tickets are available in 45 states, with Alabama, Alaska, Hawai’i, Nevada, and Utah being the only states where it is not available. You can also buy a ticket in D.C. and the US Virgin Islands.

If you are in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or the District of Columbia, you can buy tickets online by registering with the lotteries in those jurisdictions.

See full details of where you can get a ticket on the MegaMillions website.