12th-largest US lottery jackpot in history

By Todd Northrop

There are going to be a lot of lottery tickets sold this week.

For only the 12th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot has exceeded $700 million.

The new high-water mark of $720 million for the current Mega Millions jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Tuesday night's $640 million grand prize.

The lump-sum cash payout value of Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is a staggering $369.6 million.  After-tax cash and annuity prize amounts are reported state-by-state on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Mega Millions and Powerball multi-state lottery games.

Friday's mammoth jackpot is the result of 26 consecutive draws without a winner.  The run-up started as a $20 million prize on April 21.

Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs.

The winning numbers for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 were 19, 22, 31, 37, and 54, with Mega Ball number 18.  The Megaplier number was 4.

Even though nobody won the jackpot Tuesday, 8 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 2 from California, 1 from Florida, 2 from Maryland, 1 from New York, 1 from Ohio, and 1 from Rhode Island.

Only one of the second-prize winners — one of the tickets sold in Maryland — purchased the Megaplier for an additional $1, multiplying their prize to a mouth watering $4 million.

The California second-prize winners will each take home a $287,200 prize, because California does not pay out fixed prizes like all the other states. By law, California awards all lottery prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold within California and the number of tickets that won at each prize level in the state.

All Mega Millions jurisdictions except California offer the Megaplier option, which for an extra $1 per play multiplies any non-jackpot prizes the player wins by the Megaplier number drawn.  The Megaplier 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.

Also, a total of 46 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win a $10,000 prize. Of those tickets, 8 were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $40,000.

The complete payout information and official drawing video for Tuesday's drawing can be found at USA Mega's Mega Millions Drawing Information page, as well as on the Mega Millions Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post. 

Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $80 million from its previous amount of $640 million. The cash value was raised by $41.1 million from its previous amount of $328.5 million.

The next Mega Millions drawing will take place Friday night at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific).

To find the nearest lottery retailer to buy your tickets, head over to the Lottery Places website to download the free app on your iOS or Android phone or Windows computer. Lottery Places is the only app on the market that will locate lottery retailers in every state and jurisdiction throughout the United States.

Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. States that offer this ability include Michigan (Mega Millions and Powerball), Minnesota (Mega Millions and Powerball), Oregon (Mega Millions and Powerball), Texas (Mega Millions and Powerball), and Virginia (Mega Millions and Powerball). Note that some of these links will only work properly for residents of the states mentioned.

Players outside the USA can use a reputable butler service, which provides scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, the lottery ticket service was used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.

Mega Millions tickets cost $2 each. For an extra $1 per ticket players can purchase the Megaplier option, which multiplies any non-jackpot won by up to 5 times, depending on the Megaplier number drawn that evening.

Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.

Mega Millions lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com).  The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Mega Millions.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 12th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 5th-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever.  Brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

Also shown is the current Powerball jackpot, which is simultaneously reaching historic levels — now sitting at 7th on the all-time rankings.

1. Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
2. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
3. Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
4. Mega Millions: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
5. Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
6. Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
7. Powerball: $1 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
8. Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
9. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
10. Powerball: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
11. Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
12. Mega Millions: $720 million, Jul. 21, 2023 (26 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
13. Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
14. Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
15. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
16. Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
17. Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
18. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
19. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
20. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
21. Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire

For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 14
• Mega Millions: 11

Top 25 cash value jackpots

Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.

Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the 20th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

1. Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
2. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
3. Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
4. Mega Millions: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
5. Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
6. Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
7. Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
8. Powerball: $516.8 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1 billion annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
9. Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
10. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
11. Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
12. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
13. Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
14. Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
15. Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
16. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
17. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
18. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
19. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
20. Mega Millions: $369.6 million cash, Jul. 21, 2023 ($720 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
21. Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
22. Mega Millions: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
23. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($648 million annuity) - California, Georgia
24. Powerball: $341.7 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
25. Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California

The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 15
• Mega Millions: 10