Lottery
Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth $965 million after no ticket hit the jackpot Tuesday. It’s the eighth time in the game’s history that the jackpot has neared the billion-dollar mark. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A lucky winner in Georgia is celebrating a record-breaking lottery win after a single Mega Millions ticket purchased in Newnan matched all six numbers in Friday night’s drawing, claiming an estimated $980 million jackpot. It is the largest in its state history, according to a news release.
The winning Quik Pik ticket was sold at Publix #1816 on North Highway 29, according to the Georgia Lottery.
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“We are thrilled to congratulate the largest winner in our state’s history,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin. The prize surpasses Georgia’s previous record, a $478.2 million Powerball win in 2024.
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Mega Ball: 7
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The Mega Millions jackpot now sits at $50 million with a cash option of $23.2 million.
Drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday at 10 p.m. CT. The next drawing is Tuesday, Nov. 18.
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To buy a ticket, you'll have to visit your local convenience store, gas station or grocery store.
To play, you will need to pick six numbers. Five numbers will be white balls ranging from 1 to 70. The gold Mega Ball is one number between 1 and 25.
If you ask for a "Quick Pick" or an "Easy Pick," the computer will randomly generate the numbers for you.
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Players can add the "Megaplier" for $1, which can increase non-grand-prize winnings by two, three, four or five times. The Megaplier is drawn before the Mega Millions numbers on Tuesday and Friday.
There are 15 Megapiler balls in all:
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1. $1.602 billion — Aug. 8, 2023 — 1 ticket (Florida)
2. $1.537 billion — Oct. 23, 2018 — 1 ticket (South Carolina)
3. $1.348 billion — Jan. 13, 2023 — 1 ticket (Maine)
4. $1.337 billion — July 29, 2022 — 1 ticket (Illinois)
5. $1.269 billion — Dec. 27, 2024 — 1 ticket (California)
6. $1.128 billion — March 26, 2024 — 1 ticket (New Jersey)
7. $1.050 billion — Jan. 22, 2021 — 1 ticket (Michigan)
8. $965 million — Nov. 14, 2025 — 1 ticket (Georgia)
9. $810 million — Sept. 10, 2024 — 1 ticket (Texas)
10. $656 million — March 30, 2012 — 3 tickets (Illinois, Kansas, Maryland)
Marley Malenfant is a 10-year multimedia journalist who’s worked in print, digital, and broadcast. His prior work includes working in West Texas as a TV reporter for KTXS. During his time there, he covered education, sports, features, and breaking News. He’s skilled in front of the camera as well as behind it. He was a freelance writer, published in D Magazine, Dallas Morning News, SB Nation, Dallas Observer, and was a personality for “The Coach Brothers” sports radio show. Outside of journalism, he was an educator in the Dallas area. He was a 2012 Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference grant recipient. In 2021, he was part of the NABJ student multimedia project. He graduated with a paralegal degree from El Centro in 2023. Currently, he’s a trending news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, covering breaking News, sports, music, and legal trends.
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