Mega Millions jackpot Eclipses the Half Billion Mark

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (March 28, 2018) – A top prize of more than half a billion dollars will be up for grabs on Friday, March 30, in the Mega Millions drawing. The estimated jackpot for the next drawing jumped to $502 million ($301 million cash) after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night – the white balls 7, 25, 43, 56 and 59, plus the gold Mega Ball 13.

It’s just the fourth time in Mega Millions history that the jackpot has surged past $500 million; the last time was in July 2016 when a single ticket in Indiana won a $536 million prize. And between America’s two big jackpot games Powerball and Mega Millions, Friday’s $502 million jackpot is the tenth largest prize ever offered in the United States. Powerball holds the world record with a $1.586 billion jackpot won on January 13, 2016; the Mega Millions record is $656 million won on March 30, 2012 – exactly six years ago this Friday.

“Surpassing the half billion mark for only the fourth time ever will generate excitement around the water cooler,” said Randy Burnside, Public Relations Manager for the West Virginia Lottery. “Large jackpots like this one capture everyone’s attention and it would be great to see a West Virginia Lottery player win this Friday night.”

While the March 27 drawing was the twenty-third straight Mega Millions drawing without a jackpot-winning ticket, the game continues to produce big winners. Two tickets matched the five white balls Tuesday night to win $1 million each; they were sold in Illinois and New Jersey.

In total, Tuesday’s drawing produced a total of 1,526,557 winning tickets at all prize levels. Since the last jackpot was won on January 5, there have been more than 14.8 million winning tickets sold, including 35 worth $1 million or more.

The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won on January 5 at $451 million. The winning ticket for that jackpot was sold in Florida. Mega Millions drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Ga. West Virginia players have until 9:59 p.m. ET on draw days to purchase their tickets. Tickets cost $2 or $3 with the Megaplier option which multiplies the prize amount you can win on all prizes except the top prize.
Since 1986, the West Virginia Lottery has generated more than $9.5 billion in proceeds for the State of West Virginia. Lottery proceeds benefit Education, Seniors, and Tourism in the Mountain State.