Mega Millions Jackpot Reaches $1.15 Billion for Holiday Season Drawing
This holiday season could bring an unforgettable gift for a lucky Mega Millions player, with the jackpot now soaring to an estimated $1.15 billion after no winner emerged in the Christmas Eve drawing. This marks the largest prize ever offered in December, with a cash option valued at $516.1 million.
If won, this would be only the seventh time in Mega Millions history that the jackpot has surpassed $1 billion. Previous billion-dollar prizes were claimed in South Carolina (2018), Michigan (2021), Illinois (2022), Maine and Florida (2023), and New Jersey (March 2024). The record Mega Millions jackpot stands at $1.602 billion, won in Florida earlier this year.
“We anticipate many people receiving Mega Millions tickets as holiday gifts, and what a gift it would be to land the $1.15 billion jackpot,” said Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium. “This prize could make the season unforgettable, no matter how you celebrate.”
Recent Results and Upcoming Drawing
Tuesday’s winning numbers were: 11, 14, 38, 45, 46, and Mega Ball 3.
Although no ticket matched all six numbers, four lucky tickets sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania won $1 million each by matching the first five numbers.
The jackpot has been steadily growing since a Houston-area player won $810 million in September. Earlier wins in 2024 include a $552 million prize in Illinois (June) and a $1.128 billion jackpot in New Jersey (March).
If the jackpot is claimed during Friday’s drawing, it would rank as the fifth-largest prize in Mega Millions history.
An Unusual Year for Mega Millions
The lottery described 2024 as a "most unusual jackpot year," with only three grand prizes awarded so far—the fewest in any year since the game's inception in 2002.
Changes Coming in 2025
Mega Millions announced that starting April 2025, tickets will cost $5, up from the current $2. This price increase, the first since 2017, will also introduce "enhancements" such as improved odds, larger jackpots, and higher starting prizes.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET in Atlanta, Georgia. While the odds of winning the jackpot are slim—about 1 in 302.5 million—many are still dreaming of claiming the life-changing prize.
