Mega Millions jackpot is now a whopping $630 MILLION after no one matched all 6 numbers Tuesday
As there were no winning tickets sold for the $555 million Mega Millions jackpot in a drawing Tuesday night, July 19, the drawing on Friday night, July 22, will be worth a staggering $630 million, per the lottery, making it the fifth biggest pot of gold in Mega Millions history.
The lottery winner could take the prize in annual payments over 30 years or as a lump sum cash amount of $359.7 million. Nonetheless, the numbers are sure to grow as people rush to buy more tickets. The lottery revealed Tuesday's winning numbers as 2, 31, 32, 37, and 70, with the last ball being 25. There were reportedly four Match 5 winners Tuesday night, notably in Arizona, California, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
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There have been three mega jackpot wins in 2022 alone, including $426 million in California in January, $128 million in New York in March, and $110 million in Minnesota in April, Mega Millions said. However, the biggest ever Mega Millions jackpot was an eye-watering $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina in 2018.
No jackpot winner in tonight’s #MegaMillions drawing. Estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is at least $630 million. #News19 pic.twitter.com/hteeDDRZ6T
— Adam Lautenschlager (@Adam_Longname) July 20, 2022
Speaking to CBS News, Jennifer Anderson, deputy director of the Colorado Lottery, said national lotteries like Mega Millions helped states draw revenue for outdoor recreation, open spaces, and most importantly, schools. "In many states, the most common is education, either in the form of scholarships or infrastructure in schools," Anderson told the outlet. "In Colorado, we have returned over $3.8 billion for outdoor open spaces, and recreation. We just bought two new state parks, and that's important because Colorado population continues to grow and it is outpacing the amount of open spaces we have for people recreating."
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Here's how to play Mega Millions
According to the Mega Millions website, tickets cost $2.00 per play. Players are required to pick six numbers from two separate pools - five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball) - or select Easy Pick/Quick Pick. A player wins the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing. The starting jackpot varies based on sales and is announced before each drawing. That said, there are nine ways to win a prize in Mega Millions -- ranging from the jackpot down to the ticket fee of $2.
If you win the jackpot, Mega Millions offers two options -- annuity and cash. The Mega Millions annuity is paid out as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments, with each payout being 5% larger than the previous one. This option is recommended as it "helps protect winners’ lifestyle and purchasing power in periods of inflation." On the other hand, the cash option provides a one-time, lump-sum payment that is "equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool."