A $2 Mega Millions ticket made one lucky winner a billionaire this holiday season. Like they say in the lottery world, “it could happen to you.”
On Christmas Eve 2024, the jackpot hit $1 billion. It was the 12th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot reached $1 billion. Only once has a lottery jackpot here surpassed $2 billion (see below).
On Friday, Dec. 27, Mega Millions ballooned to $1.22 billion, with final ticket sales pushing the grand total to $1.269 billion, according to Mega Millions online. The next day, the Florida Lottery reported one ticket in California matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball. The winner has a year from the date of the draw to claim the prize. The jackpot officially reset to $20 million for Tuesday, Dec. 31, or New Year’s Eve — a week after Mega Millions reached $1 billion. Check back after 11 p.m. EST for the New Year’s Eve 2024 winning numbers.
Lucky day!1 player in California won $1.269 billion Mega Millions: What we know about the winner
In case you’re wondering, Friday, Dec. 27, winning Mega Millions numbers were 3-7-37-49-55 and the Mega Ball was 6. Megaplier was 3x.
In addition to the $1.269 billion jackpot winner, there were five secondary winners in Friday night’s drawing. Two tickets purchased in California and a ticket from Missouri, Arizona and Texas all matched 5 for $1 million prizes.
Mega Millions tickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about the game, when winning tickets expire in Florida (it differs state by state) and lottery odds. Good luck!
Mega Millions lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. EST Tuesdays and Fridays. Check back for Tuesday, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve, winning Mega Millions numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or a rollover.
Mega Millions drawings are at 11 p.m. EST Tuesdays and Fridays. The next Mega Millions lottery drawing will be at 11 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.
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After nearly four months of rollovers, the last Mega Millions lottery streak included two Friday the 13th holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah before someone in California won $1.22 billion for matching all five numbers and the Mega Ball.
Below is a recap of lottery drawings for this latest streak and how the jackpot grew over time.
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Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega Millions site, players have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
As of Dec. 31, 2024, New Year’s Eve, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.
As of Dec. 31, 2024, New Year’s Eve, there have been 12 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
(This story will be updated to add new information.)
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
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