Will a $2 ticket make you a multimillionaire? As they say in the lottery business, "it could happen to you."
After no one matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Friday, Aug. 23, Mega Millions drawing for more than half $1 billion, the jackpot shot up to $582 million for Tuesday, Aug. 27. The cash option would be $286.9 million if the winner(s) opts for a one-time lump sum, according to megamillions.com. Tuesday's winning numbers were 16-18-21-54-65 and the Mega Ball was 5. Megaplier was 2x. Those numbers mean another rollover.
The Mega Millions Friday jackpot now swells to $627 million, with a cash option of $309.1 million.
There were two big winners in Tuesday's drawing, both from tickets purchased in South Carolina. One of those tickets matched 5 plus the Megaplier for a $2 million prize. The other ticket matched 5 for $1 million.
In case you're wondering, Friday’s winning numbers were 28-30-44-66-69 and the Mega Ball was 2. Megaplier was 3x. Though it was another rollover, and as the grand prize inches toward the Top 10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, it wasn't all bad news!
There were two big winners in Friday night's Mega Millions drawing. A ticket purchased in Tennessee matched 5 plus the Megaplier for a $3 million prize, while a Texas ticket match 5 for $1 million.
Mega Millionstickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about the game, when winning tickets expire in Florida (it differs state by state)and lotteryodds. Good luck!
What were winning Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday, August 27, 2024? 16-18-21-54-65 and the Mega Ball was 5
Mega Millions lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. EST Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, winning numbers were 16-18-21-54-65 and the Mega Ball was 5. Megaplier was 2x. We’ll see if there’s a winner, a secondary winner for $2 million or $1 million, or another rollover.
When is the next Mega Millions lottery drawing?
Mega Millions drawings are at 11 p.m. EDT Tuesdays and Fridays. The next Mega Millions lottery drawing will be at 11 p.m. EST Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
How long has Mega Millions rolled over?
This Mega Millions lottery streak started Friday, June 7, after someone in Illinois matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Tuesday, June 4, drawing for $560 million. Below is a recap of lottery drawings and how the jackpot has grown since then.
- Tuesday, Aug. 27: $582 million
- Friday, Aug. 23: $535 million
- Tuesday, Aug. 20: $498 million
- Friday, Aug. 16: $464 million
- Tuesday, Aug. 13: $435 million
- Friday, Aug. 9: $405 million
- Tuesday, Aug. 6: $374 million
- Friday, Aug. 2: $358 million
- Tuesday, July 30: $331 million
- Friday, July 26: $306 million
- Tuesday, July 23: $279 million
- Friday, July 19: $251 million
- Tuesday, July 16: $226 million
- Friday, July 12: $203 million
- Tuesday, July 9 $181 million
- Friday, July 5: $162 million
- Tuesday, July 2: $137 million
- Friday, June 28: $116 million
- Tuesday, June 25: $97 million
- Friday, June 21: $80 million
- Tuesday, June 18: $61 million
- Friday, June 14: $47 million
- Tuesday, June 11: $30 million
- Friday, June 7: $20 million
How long do you have to cash in a winning Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to theMega Millions site, players have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
Does the Florida Lottery reveal lottery winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?
According toFlorida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."
However, the site states, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
Top 10 biggest Mega Millions lottery jackpots
As of Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according tomegamillions.com.
- The largest Mega Millions jackpot won on a single ticket was for $1.58 billion for Aug. 8, 2023, drawing. Final sales pushed the grand prize to $1.602 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Neptune Beach, Florida, Publix. Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida, claimed the prize.
- The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018.
- $1.348 billion won in Maine on Jan. 13, 2023
- $1.337 billion won in Illinois on July 29, 2022
- $1.128 billion won in Neptune, New Jersey, on March 26, 2024
- $1.050 billion won in Michigan on Jan. 22, 2021
- $582 million drawing for Aug. 27, 2024, winner TBD
- $552 million won in Illinois on June 4, 2024
- $543 million won in California on July 24, 2018
- $536 million won in Indiana on July 8, 2016
When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billionor more? How many times has Mega Millions and Powerball lottery jackpots reached $2 billion?
As of Aug. 27, 2024, there have been 11 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion.
- $2.04 billionPowerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022,Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
- $1.73 billionPowerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023,Theodorus Struyck of California(ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
- $1.586 billionPowerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California,Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, andJohn and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
- $1.58 billionMega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
- $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
- $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
- $1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
- $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
- $1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
- $1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
