Almost $1 billion could hit someone’s bank account on Friday from the Mega Millions Jackpot. This is the eighth time in history that the Mega Millions Jackpot is almost hitting $1 billion.
The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Friday, Nov. 14, is $965 million with a $445.3 million cash option.
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Friday’s Mega Millions drawing marks the eighth-largest jackpot in the game’s history — trailing only seven previous billion-dollar prizes. The last jackpot of that size was $1.269 billion, won in California in December 2024.
This will be the 40th drawing since the last win in June, setting a new game record. Mega Millions is the only lottery with seven jackpots over $1 billion, claimed in South Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Maine, Florida, New Jersey and California.
The record stands at $1.602 billion, won in Florida in 2023.
State taxes can reduce a jackpot by over $100 million dollars. The following states are the best to win the lottery:
Residents in states that don’t tax lottery winnings would receive the full payout either as a lump sum or a 30-year annuity, according to usamega.com. Federal taxes still apply, with 24% withheld upfront and a total tax rate reaching 37%, the top federal bracket for a jackpot of this size.
Tickets are available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Each ticket costs $5 and includes a randomly assigned multiplier that can increase the prize levels by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X. Half of the proceeds from each Mega Millions ticket sale stay in the state where the ticket was purchased.
The drawings are held at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia. The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 23; the odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336.The Top Mega Millions Jackpots:
Powerball lottery drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays.
Watch the live drawings on WRAL-TV or check the latest North Carolina lottery winning numbers.