Did anyone win the Mega Millions? With a growing jackpot, thousands are checking their tickets hoping to be the next big winner. Can you imagine what you’d do with millions in your hands?
Keep reading to find out if someone has already claimed the prize or if there’s still a chance for you.
Did Anyone Win the Mega Million Last Night?
The Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11pm ET, with the most recent drawing on Tuesday, March 18.
The winning numbers were 27-28-31-32-33 and the Mega Ball was 24 with a 3X Megaplier.
Unfortunately there was no jackpot winner for this drawing. This means that the $301 Million prize has rolled over and will grow until the next drawing on Friday, March 21. The excitement is building with an estimated jackpot of $324 Million with a cash value of $150.6 Million!
If you don’t want to miss the results of future drawings or your chance to win, download the Lottonia . With Lottonia, you’ll get notifications of winning Mega Millions numbers right to your phone so you never miss out on a prize.
Want to learn more about how to check Mega Millions numbers with Lottonia? Check out our dedicated article.
Has Anyone Ever Won the Mega Millions Jackpot?
Mega Millions as we know it today started in May of 2002. At that time only nine states participated: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio, and New York.
However, the history of this lottery game goes back six years, to 1996, and it was called The Big Game.
Surprisingly, the first Mega Millions jackpot winner came from the very first drawing of the game. On May 17, 2002, a player from Illinois matched all the numbers and won the $28 million jackpot. Since then, Mega Millions has awarded 216 jackpots, 194 of which were won by individual players.
According to the official website, Mega Millions has had 33 jackpots over $300 million. In addition, it is the only lottery game to have awarded six prizes of one billion dollars or more, including two in 2023 and one each in 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
These impressive prizes show that while the odds are low, winning a big prize is possible and has happened many times.
What Are the Largest Mega Millions Jackpots?
The largest Mega Millions jackpot reached $1.602 billion and was won by a single player from Florida in August 2023. This surpassed the previous record of $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018.
Here’s a list of the top 10 Mega Millions jackpots:
- $1.602 billion – August 8, 2023, won in Florida
- $1.537 billion – October 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
- 1.348 billion – January 13, 2023, won in Maine
- 1.337 billion – July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
- 1.128 billion – March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
- 1.05 billion – January 22, 2021, won in Michigan
- 810 million-September 11, 2024, won in Texas
- $656 million – March 30, 2012, won in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland
- $648 million – December 17, 2013, won in California and Georgia
- $552 million – June 4, 2024, won in Illinois
How to Play and Win Mega Millions?
Let’s review how to play Mega Millions. You need to select 5 numbers for the white balls from a range of 1 to 70 and one number for the extra ball called the Mega Ball from a range of 1 to 25. If you match all 6 numbers, you win the Mega Millions jackpot.
But that’s not the only prize you can win. In addition to the jackpot, Mega Millions offers 8 other prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million. Just matching the Mega Ball number alone will get you your ticket investment back. And the best part is that the odds of winning these other prizes are much higher.
Let’s look at the prize categories that Mega Millions offers and the odds of winning each.
| Match | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Five numbers + The Mega Ball | Jackpot | 1 in 302,575,350 |
| Five numbers | $1,000,000 | 1 in 12,607,306 |
| Four numbers + The Mega Ball | $10,000 | 1 in 931,001 |
| Four numbers | $500 | 1 in 38,792 |
| Three numbers + The Mega Ball | $200 | 1 in 14,547 |
| Three numbers | $10 | 1 in 606 |
| Two numbers + The Mega Ball | $10 | 1 in 693 |
| One number + The Mega Ball | $4 | 1 in 89 |
| The Mega Ball | $2 | 1 in 37 |
But these aren’t the final numbers, because remember that with the Megaplier option, your non-jackpot prizes can be multiplied up to 5 times, making your winnings even more exciting!
What Happens If I Win the Mega Millions Jackpot?
If you win the Mega Millions jackpot you will need to decide how you want to receive your winnings: a lump sum or an annuity.
If you choose the lump sum option, you’ll receive your winnings in a single cash payment, but the amount will be less than the advertised jackpot.
Alternatively, if you choose the annuity option, you’ll receive an initial payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment will increase by 5% from the previous year.
It’s important to be aware of the deadline for claiming your prize, as it varies from state to state. Typically, it ranges from 3 months to one year after the drawing date. Missing the deadline means forfeiting the prize, so make sure you know your state’s rules.
Learn More: What to Do if I Win the Lottery?
Summing Up…
Even though no one matched all 6 Mega Millions numbers to win the jackpot, don’t worry. The prize has just started to grow and will continue to increase over the next few drawings to reach an even bigger payout.
Sure, the odds of winning are slim, but you never know when luck might be on your side. You could be the next big Mega Millions winner!
And if you’re looking for an extra edge on your next ticket, we recommend trying the luckiest Mega Millions numbers.
Good luck, and don’t forget to download the Lottonia App to stay updated with every drawing!