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The Southern Maryland Chronicle
When News Matters, It Matters Where You Get Your News.
The Mega Millions jackpot swelled to an estimated $800 million annuity value, with a $371.7 million cash option, for the Tuesday, November 4, 2025, drawing after no players matched all six numbers in Friday’s contest. The winning numbers from October 31 were the white balls 2, 24, 52, 66 and 68, along with the gold Mega Ball 9, drawn under the lights at WSB-TV studios here at 11 p.m. Eastern time. This marks the 37th drawing in the current run, which began after a $348 million prize was claimed in Virginia on June 27.
The escalating prize pool has generated buzz nationwide, with tickets selling in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands at $5 apiece. Each ticket carries a built-in multiplier — randomly assigned as 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X — that boosts non-jackpot prizes. Friday’s drawing produced 557,912 winners across all tiers, awarding nearly $10.9 million in total payouts. Among them, six tickets secured the third-tier prize of four white balls plus the Mega Ball: three with a 2X multiplier for $20,000 each in Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and three with 3X for $30,000 each in California, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. California prizes adjust under state pari-mutuel rules, which pool wagers to cover actual payouts.
This November drawing revives memories of past autumn windfalls, though the last jackpot win in the month came in 2016. Since Mega Millions launched in 2002, players have claimed 16 November jackpots, the biggest a $326 million haul on November 4, 2014, by a New York ticket holder. The game’s format, updated in April 2025 to include the multiplier on every ticket, has fueled faster rollovers and larger averages. Overall odds of any prize stand at 1 in 23, while the jackpot requires matching five white balls from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 24, yielding 1-in-290,472,336 chances.
The current streak traces to four jackpot hits in the first half of 2025: $112 million in Arizona on January 17, $349 million in Illinois on March 25, $112 million in Ohio on April 18, and the Virginia win that reset the clock. Over 36 drawings since June, nearly 11.1 million tickets have won something, with prizes topping $261.8 million. That includes 17 second-tier Match 5 prizes — eight at 2X in states including Arizona and Connecticut, seven at 3X in Florida and Georgia among others, and singles at 4X and 5X both in California. Third-tier wins reached 244, with payouts from $20,000 to $100,000 across 38 jurisdictions, from Alaska to Wyoming.
Mega Millions stands alone in delivering seven billion-dollar jackpots, each in a unique state. The sequence started with South Carolina’s $1.537 billion on October 23, 2018, followed by Michigan’s $1.050 billion in January 2021, Illinois’ $1.337 billion in July 2022, Maine’s $1.348 billion in January 2023, Florida’s record $1.602 billion on August 8, 2023, New Jersey’s $1.128 billion on March 26, 2024, and California’s $1.269 billion on December 27, 2024. These mega-prizes, paid as 30 graduated annual installments or a lump-sum cash equivalent, often spark claims processes involving trusts and financial advisors to navigate taxes and anonymity laws varying by state.
Half of every ticket’s proceeds stay local, funding education, infrastructure and other causes while compensating retailers. The multi-state consortium, operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association, conducts drawings twice weekly in Atlanta, ensuring transparency with independent auditors and bond-paper balls. Changes like the 2017 matrix shift to 70 white balls widened the pool, stretching jackpots longer and inflating values — a tactic that boosted average prizes by 50 percent in the first year. Yet critics point to the regressive nature of lotteries, where lower-income players spend disproportionately, though proponents highlight the voluntary funding model.
If claimed Tuesday, the $800 million would rank ninth all-time, surpassing the $810 million Texas win on September 10, 2024, but trailing the $1.050 billion Michigan prize. Past November claimants include a $315 million Georgia ticket on November 18, 2016, and a $202 million New York win on November 21, 2014. The full history logs 1,013 jackpot drawings since 2002, with 70 percent rolling over to build spectacle. Non-jackpot tiers offer fixed awards: $10 for three white balls, up to $1 million for Match 5 without the Mega Ball, multiplied accordingly.
As tickets flood convenience stores and apps, experts advise winners to sign entries immediately and consult professionals before publicity. The drawing airs live on select networks, with results posted instantly online. With odds steeper than lightning strikes — about 1 in 500,000 annually — the allure persists in the dream of life-altering wealth from a $5 slip.
Show your love for Southern Maryland by powering authoritative, in-depth reporting about your community, and keeping access free for neighbors who need it.
Your contribution is appreciated.
David M. Higgins II is an award-winning journalist passionate about uncovering the truth and telling compelling stories. Born in Baltimore and raised in Southern Maryland, he has lived in several East… More by David M. Higgins II, Publisher/Editor
The Southern Maryland Chronicle(SoMDC) is an all-digital news source for SoMD. We cover all of Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties; along with the Southern portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s County. SoMDC covers every aspect of the SoMD Region and will continue to grow with the community. SoMDC appreciates all feedback from the community, along with tips, pictures, articles contributed, and support.
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