More Than 67,000 West Virginia Lottery tickets win prizes in Record Mega Millions Drawing
October 24, 2018The estimated annuity jackpot for Tuesday, October 23 was just shy of a world record at $1.537 billion. It was, however, the world’s largest lottery jackpot awarded on a single ticket.
○ World-record Powerball jackpot in January 2016 was $1.586 billion, but was split among winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.
● The final total was less than the $1.6 billion estimate because estimates are based on historical patterns of jackpot rolls, but there are few precedents for a jackpot this size. Typically, about 70% of sales occur on the drawing day, so forecasting precise numbers in advance can be difficult.
● One jackpot-winning ticket was sold in South Carolina – the state’s first-ever Mega Millions jackpot win.
○ Annuity option: one immediate payment and annual graduated payments for 29 years
○ Cash option: $877.8 million (before taxes)
● The October 23 drawing produced 15,750,014 winning tickets.
○ 36 second-tier winners
■ 8 in California (each worth $562,472, as California pays prizes on a pari-mutuel basis)
■ 4 in New York ($1 million each)
■ 4 in Florida (one with 3X Megaplier for $3 million; the other three for $1 million)
■ 1 in Texas worth $3 million (with 3X Megaplier)
■ 19 each worth $1 million in the following states:
● 2 each in Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia
● 1 each in Arizona, Washington, D.C., Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
○ 419 third-tier winners of $10,000 (51 of the 419 with Megaplier for $30,000)
● West Virginia produced two third-tier winners of $10,000, and a total of 67,241 tickets sold in West Virginia won a prize from the drawing.
Mega Millions Top-10 Jackpots
1. $1.537 billion 10/23/2018 South Carolina
2. $656 million 3/30/2012 Kansas, Illinois, Maryland
3. $648 million 12/17/2013 California, Georgia
4. $543 million 7/24/2018 California
5. $536 million 7/8/2016 Indiana
6. $533 million 3/30/2018 New Jersey
7. $451 million 1/5/2018 Florida
8. $414 million 3/18/2014 Florida, Maryland
9. $393 million 8/11/2017 Illinois
10. $390 million 3/6/2007 Georgia, New Jersey
Top-10 Lottery Jackpots
1. $1.586 billion 1/13/2016 California, Florida, Tennessee (Powerball)
2. $1.537 billion 10/23/2018 South Carolina (Mega Millions)
3. $758.7 million 8/23/2017 Massachusetts (Powerball)
4. $656 million 3/30/2012 Kansas, Illinois, Maryland (Mega Millions)
5. $648 million 12/17/2013 California, Georgia (Mega Millions)
6. $620 million 10/24/18 ??? (Powerball)
7. $590.5 million 5/18/2013 Florida (Powerball)
8. $587.5 million 11/28/2012 Arizona, Missouri (Powerball)
9. $564.1 million 2/11/2015 N. Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas (Powerball)
10. $559.7 million 1/6/2018 New Hampshire (Powerball)
● The largest previous Mega Millions jackpot was $656 million on March 30, 2012, with winning tickets purchased in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. Click here for a list of all Mega Millions jackpots won since the game began.
● Mega Millions is played in 46 jurisdictions: 44 states; Washington, D.C., and U.S. Virgin Islands.
● Tickets are $2; The Megaplier option is an additional $1. Prizes on all Megaplier tickets are multiplied, except for the jackpot.
● Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia
