Mega Millions jackpot soars to an estimated $1.15 billion after no winners on Christmas Eve

The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to a staggering $1.15 billion after no one secured the winning numbers on Christmas Eve. This colossal prize could make for an unforgettable belated holiday gift for one lucky ticket holder.

Scheduled for Friday, the upcoming draw marks the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever offered in December. The winner can choose the cash option, amounting to an estimated $516.1 million. This is only the seventh time in the game’s history that the jackpot has exceeded $1 billion. Previous billion-dollar prizes were won in South Carolina (2018), Michigan (2021), Illinois (2022), Maine and Florida (2023), and New Jersey (March 2023). Florida holds the current record with a $1.602 billion prize.

Joshua Johnston, the lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, highlighted the unique appeal of holiday-season tickets. “Many people will likely receive tickets for Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift it would be to win a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Johnston said. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays—whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or the Winter Solstice—than by fulfilling dreams with a prize like this and other prizes at all levels of the game.”

The winning numbers for Tuesday’s drawing were 11, 14, 38, 45, 46, and Mega Ball 3. Although no tickets matched all six numbers, four tickets did match the first five, each earning $1 million. These tickets were sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania.

The jackpot has been building for three months since a Houston-area resident claimed the last big prize of $810 million after purchasing the winning ticket in Sugar Land, Texas. Earlier this year, Illinois saw a $552 million jackpot claimed on June 4, while New Jersey celebrated a $1.128 billion win on March 26.

If someone wins Friday’s jackpot, it will rank as the fifth-largest prize in Mega Millions history. The Mega Millions organization has described 2024 as the “most unusual jackpot year,” with only three jackpots won so far—the fewest in a single year since the game’s inception in 2002.

Looking ahead, the cost of playing Mega Millions will increase. Starting in April 2025, tickets will rise to $5 per play, accompanied by several enhancements, including improved odds, larger jackpots, and higher starting prize amounts. This will be only the second price hike since the game began.

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands, with draws taking place at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets currently cost $2, and the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 302.5 million.