Mega Millions Jackpot Jumps to $940 Million After No Winner

A clerk at Broad Street Liquors updates the Mega Millions jackpot at the store's lottery counter in Timonium, Md., on Jan. 3, 2023. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $940 million after there was no winner for the top prize in Tuesday night’s drawing.

Tuesday was the first Mega Millions drawing of the new year, with a jackpot of $785 million.

The numbers for Tuesday’s drawing were: 25, 29, 33, 41, 44, and gold Mega Ball 18.

Six people matched the first five numbers. Three people won $1 million each, while three others hit the megaplier bonus and won $4 million each.

The next drawing is scheduled to be held Friday night. It remains the sixth-largest jackpot in U.S. history and the fourth-largest Mega Millions jackpot.

A billboard along Interstate 95 advertises the Mega Millions jackpot in Philadelphia, Jan. 4, 2023. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

The $940 million jackpot is for a winner who agrees to be paid over 29 years in an annuity. Almost all winners choose the cash option, which for Friday’s drawing would be an estimated $483.5 million.

In Tuesday’s drawing, there were more than 2.9 million winning tickets of various amounts, including three $4 million tickets sold in Arizona, Mississippi, and South Dakota, Mega Millions said in a statement.

The Mega Millions drawing is an estimate, and it could go higher depending on the volume of ticket sales.

According to Mega Millions, players have a 1 in 24 chance of winning some sort of prize when they play, ranging from $2 to the jackpot.

The last Mega Millions jackpot was won on Oct. 14. Since then, there have been 23 drawings without anyone taking the top prize. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 302.6 million.

There have been only three larger Mega Million jackpots than Friday’s estimated prize, including $1.53 billion in 2018, $1.05 billion in 2021, and $1.33 billion in 2022, Mega Millions said.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

10 biggest Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots won in U.S. lottery history

• $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (1 ticket from California)
• $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets from California, Florida, Tennessee)
• $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket from South Carolina)
• $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket from Illinois)
• $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket from Michigan)
• $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket from Wisconsin)
• $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket from Massachusetts)
• $731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket from Maryland)
• $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021 (one ticket from California)
• $687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018 (two tickets from Iowa and New York)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.