By Todd Northrop
After a couple of mega-sized jackpots early this year, the Mega Millions jackpot has stubbornly refused to explode to the humongous levels that make lottery players line up around the block.
Perhaps that might change in the next couple of weeks, as the Mega Millions grand prize has increased to $160 million for the Tuesday evening drawing after nobody matched all 5 numbers and the Mega Ball Friday night.
The lump-sum cash value of Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot is $95.4 million.
Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot is the accumulation of 14 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner. The current jackpot run-up started on July 1 as a $15 million grand prize.
In Friday night's Mega Millions drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 1 lucky player from Illinois matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize.
The Illinois second-prize winner did not purchase the Megaplier for an extra $1. If they had, their prize would have been doubled to $2,000,000, since the Megaplier number drawn Friday evening was 2. The Megaplier offers players a chance to multiply non-jackpot prizes by the random Megaplier number drawn that evening for an extra $1 per play.
The Megaplier option is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered with the Megaplier is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.
Also, a total of 38 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $5,000 prize. Of those tickets, 5 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing their prize to $10,000, and 7 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $5,097.
The Mega Millions winning numbers for Friday, August 15, 2014, were 16, 19, 28, 29, and 68, with Mega Ball number 9. The Megaplier number was 2.
Following the Friday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $16 million from its previous amount of $144 million. The cash value was raised by $10.7 million, from its previous amount of $84.7 million.
Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 43 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $1 each.
A 44th Mega Millions state will be added next week, as the state of Wyoming has set a start date of Aug. 24 for Mega Millions ticket sales, with its first drawing of participation on Aug. 26.
The Mega Millions winning numbers are published at USA Mega minutes after the drawing takes place.
I got a ticket. Hopefully I get to do that Gold Bond dance.... a little shake, a little jingle
lets see whar this is headed
Play every draw and still see where this is headed. I have a friend that plays only when it get really high, and than he's mad if someone wins the jackpot say, when it is at 60 million. I will take any jackpot win.
14 draws to $160 million....just me or does it seem to be taking longer
So much for growing "faster" and "bigger" LOL
Guess I'll be sitting out awhile longer
My vote is for Wyoming ! That win would be a great welcome to that person or persons. Go Jackalope
My vote is for me, myself and I, but not afraid to share.
On va voir. We shall see.
Hello everyone, long time lurker but, first time poster. Fingers crossed for Houston, Texas.
On the last draw I had 9 as the Mega number on 5 different tickets and won a whopping $10.00...
Congratulations on getting some money back. I had 9 as mega number on 3 tickets and won $4.00 .
I will donate $1.00 toward this draw. If and when it exceeds $200 million then I will splurge with $2.00 .
The odds are simply insane to play each draw and I would much rather enhance my emergency fund than to throw crazy amounts at this or any other game. I am not against the lottery and do enjoy participating every once in a while but I do use common sense when it comes to parting with my hard earned money.
Are you laughing because I got it wrong?
I just learned that it is a little shake, a little tingle
Anyways good luck to you too
I'm thankful for winning any amount. You won $10 more than what I won. I won ZERO!
I would like 5, 10, or 15 mega ball to show up on tuesday night so I can win a $1 back. It would be nice to say I was a winner too.-weshar75
Under the old matrix, it took 19 draws to get to the largest jackpot seen under it, $656M annuity. (The cash to annuity ratio was also higher back then.)
The last $400M MM Jackpot, took 21 draws to reach that figure (actually ending up at $414M), at 19 draws it was at $309M.
One may draw one's own conclusions from these facts, at the risk of hearing from a rather touchy fellow here who insists that the new matrix is great.
Good to see the cash value jack pot at almost 100 million, once it hits the 100 million point I am in, it takes too long to get any higher.
.....count me in for 5 tickies
Yup and I think many of us saw that coming.
This jackpot is more than enough for one to call it a day and retire. Waiting for it to creep over $200 mil does not increase one's chances in the least.
* When l read of people sitting out a jackpot , it tells me that these folks are regular jackpot winners and they are in total control as to how the game unfolds....what a lucky bunch.
( sigh!)
I have to agree with your assessment. at the end of the draw they always say what the next jackpot will be and it was only going to be 490 million. at 22 draws, that is pathetic! To reach it's full potential (600+) i think it would take at least another 3 draws... people have become jackpot fatigued... Powerball is "too expensive" for some... and Mega Millions is a rip off due to the payout spread... they too should make it 2.00 that way state lottery jackpot games have a chance. Powerball is taking 16 draws to get to 400 million too... it used to be around 14 draws... and that was 600 million. maybe Wyoming is the answer to Mega's slow growth... if we could get Alabama and Mississippi to join in with lotteries... faster bigger jackpots
Yeah, I agree bigbear29, I'd take any jackpot.
Don't you just love it when people who only play when a jp is pumped up want all the other players to pump it up for them.
Jackpot fatigue. Remember that $656m jackpot was the 1st time ever that it had reached $400m+ and it really took off in sales. You can see all the Powerballs and Megas that reached $400m+ since then have seen lower and lower total sales each drawing for comparable jackpot levels.
16 drawings - remember there were several winter storms during that run-up.
It would take about 14 now, depending on if the Powerball jackpot has any of its run at less than Mega's prize (the higher jackpot takes more sales from the other). It took as little as 12 in 2013, that was the result of California joining and it seems sales are stronger right off a large ($300+ jackpot) run even after it resets to $40 million and this carries through for subsequent drawings.
Odd thing I've noticed lately is that weekday drawings are much weaker in sales despite the extra day than the Saturday drawings.
Don't you just love it when people who only play when a jp is pumped up want all the other players to pump it up for them.
Hahaha I love this!
For me it's not a matter of the jackpot being "enough" but more the fact that I know it will never materialize. If I'm gonna throw down moolah, at least make it a big fish worth fishing for! By holding out, I don't have any less (or more) chance of winning than anyone else, but my dreams can get bigger with a bigger prize. If everyone else wants to contribute to my big fish, I won't stop ya
The big news that i got out of this one was that a 44th state will join the mega million frenzy. I say good let them join the rest of the states,maybe then the MM jackpot will rollover faster and bigger.
$160 Million Woo Hoo.......
Adding 580k in population will be marginal at best
LottoMetro, how do you know it will never materialize? I look at it this way, just be in the game, if only $1.00 . I have my thoughts about the game as far as the randomness of the game, and I still believe that the game looks for the least played set of numbers. I have no proof of this, but I'm still in the game.