Forty-five states plus Washington, D.C., participate in the Mega Millions drawings. Find out which state has hit the jackpot the most and what numbers seem to come up most often.
The record-long drought without a Mega Millions jackpot winner is over.
A ticket sold in Georgia matched the winning numbers that were drawn Friday night for the estimated $980 million jackpot, the lottery game announced. The winning numbers were 1, 8, 11, 12 and 57 with a Mega Ball of 7.
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The jackpot, which was initially announced at an estimated $965 million, is the eighth-largest grand prize in Mega Millions history. It’s also the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won in Georgia, and the first jackpot victory in the state since 2016.
The winner now has a choice of either receiving the jackpot prize in a 30-year annuity, or getting a one-time, lump-sum payment of $452.2 million. Of course, both options come with taxes.
The jackpot victory ends the longest streak without a grand prize awarded in the game’s 23-year history. This was the 40th drawing since the last jackpot hit in late June.
The seven jackpots in Mega Millions history worth more than $980 million were all above the $1 billion mark. The game’s largest jackpot win was $1.602 billion in 2023.
In addition to the jackpot win in Friday’s drawing, there was also a ticket sold in Michigan that fetched a $3 million prize for matching all five white balls. The drawing featured more than 1.1 million winning tickets across all prize levels.
The Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with drawings taking place on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tickets cost $5 each.
The odds of winning the jackpot are a minuscule 1 in 290,472,336.
The Mega Millions jackpot resets to an estimated $50 million, with a $23.1 million cash option, for the next drawing, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 11 p.m. ET.