Millions, if not billions, are up grabs once a winning lotto ticket goes unclaimed. What to know about who gets to keep it.
Feeling lucky?
A $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot is up for grabs Tuesday night, giving a lucky player the chance to score the 8th largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
Here are the winning numbers for Tuesday's drawing: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and a MegaBall of 4. The Megaplier was 2x.
After more than three months without a big winner, the prize has soared to $1.13 billion. The winner could opt for a $537.5 million cash option, which would be a one-time payment in lieu of receiving the full amount over 30 years.
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Despite the big money pot, the prize is still subject to taxes, which include an automatic withholding tax of 24% levied against the winnings, and another 13% in federal taxes when you file your 2024 return.
There are also state taxes in some jurisdictions, which range from 2.9% to 10.9% depending on the state you live in. But if you're lucky enough to live in California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington or Wyoming, you won't pay income in your winnings.
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The jackpot has been gradually building for months thanks to 29 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the game’s top prize was on Dec. 8, 2023, when two winning tickets were sold at the same gas station in Los Angeles, splitting the $394 million prize.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever, worth $1.602 billion, was sold on Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
Lottery jackpots grow so large because the odds of winning are so small. For Mega Millions, players have a 1 in 302.6 million chance of taking home the top prize.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday night at 11 p.m. EST.
