The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to nearly $1 billion, with no winners in the last 29 drawings, creating excitement for the upcoming Christmas Eve drawing
Atlanta: Mega Millions players dreaming of a green Christmas could be in luck this year.
Lottery officials announced that no tickets matched all six numbers from the last drawing, which means the jackpot has jumped from $825 million to nearly $1 billion. This is the 29th drawing in a row without a big winner, going back to September 10.
They said, “There’s extra magic in the air this holiday season as the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to almost a billion dollars!” The next drawing is set for Tuesday, December 24, with a massive prize estimated at $944 million.
If someone matches all the numbers on Christmas Eve, they could take home a lump-sum cash payout of about $429 million. That would make them only the third person to win the jackpot in 2024, which is the fewest winners in a single year since the game started.
Interestingly, this would also be just the second time in the lottery’s 22-year history that someone has won the jackpot on Christmas Eve.
Back in 2002, the first year of the game, a $68 million prize was won in New York on December 24, but it eventually went unclaimed.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever was a whopping $1.6 billion, won in August of last year with a ticket purchased in Neptune, Florida.
