Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, December 18. Jackpot hits estimated at $825 million

On By Littum

Mega Millions continues to climb closer to the $1 billion mark after another drawing came up without a winning jackpot ticket on Tuesday.

Tuesday night’s drawing produced no jackpot winner, raising the estimated jackpot from $740 million to an estimated $825 million with a $382.2 million cash option on the winnings. This jackpot has been going strong since September, will anyone win before the new year?

According to MegaMillions.com, 13 yesckpots have been won in December since the game began in 2002. Three were won after Christmas and before New Year, while the others were won before Christmas. With a drawing on Christmas Eve, someone could wake up with the ultimate Christmas present on Christmas morning.

Here’s a look at the latest Mega Millions numbers from Tuesday and when the next drawing will take place.

What were the Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, December 17, 2024

The winning numbers for the Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday, December 17 were 56, 66, 67, 68 and 69 with Mega Ball 18.

Did anyone win the Mega Millions?

No one won the big prize, but there were 1,602,721 winning tickets across all non-jackpot prize levels, including a $4 million ticket from North Carolina, according to Mega Millions. Four other tickets worth $1 million were won in California (two), Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Who won the last Mega Millions jackpot?

The last big jackpot winner was also among the 10 highest payouts in Mega Millions history. A single ticket in Texas hit $810 million on September 10. A new jackpot started on September 13th and has continued to grow.

Has anyone claimed the $1 billion March 2024 Mega Millions prize?

Mega Millions had a $1.128 billion prize won in New Jersey on March 26 that has yet to be claimed. The winning voucher can be handed in up to one year after the win. The New Jersey winner has until March 26, 2025 to claim the prize, and if not claimed, the unpaid prize will revert to each participating Mega Millions jurisdiction, according to Mega Millions.

How many times has Mega Millions hit $1 billion?

Mega Millions has hit and surpassed the $1 billion mark six times in game history, according to Mega Millions. South Carolina saw the first $1 billion in 2018, but it would be a few years before it hit that mark again. The second $1 billion+ jackpot was won in Michigan in 2021, then Illinois in 2022, Maine in early 2023, Florida in August 2023 and the last one was in New Jersey in March.

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

The next Mega Millions drawing is at 23.00 on Friday 20 December 2024.

How likely are you to win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot?

The lotto numbers start to add up and you dream about what you can do with all the winnings, but the chances of winning big are pretty slim.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million.

The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot – regardless of size – is about 1 in 292.2 million.

What should I do if I win the lottery?

Top 10 US lottery Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot results

Here are the nation’s top 10 Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, according to powerball.com:

  • $2.04 billion, Powerball – 7 November 2022; California.

  • $1.765 billion, Powerball – 11 October 2023; California.

  • $1.602 billion, Mega Millions – 8 August 2023; Florida.

  • $1.586 billion, Powerball – January 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee.

  • $1.537 billion, Mega Millions – 23 October 2018; South Carolina.

  • $1.35 billion, Mega Millions – 13 January 2023; Maine.

  • $1.337 billion, Mega Millions — 29 July 2022; Illinois.

  • $1.326 billion, Powerball — 6 April 2024; Oregon

  • $1.13 billion, Mega Millions — March 26, 2024; New Jersey.

  • $1.08 billion, Powerball — 19 July 2023; California.

Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots

The latest jackpot has just broken into the top 10 Mega Millions jackpots of all time.

  • $1.602 billion – August 8, 2023; Florida.

  • $1.537 billion – October 23, 2018; South Carolina.

  • $1.35 billion – January 13, 2023; Maine.

  • $1.337 billion – July 29, 2022; Illinois.

  • $1.13 billion – March 26, 2024; New Jersey.

  • $1.05 billion – January 22, 2021; Michigan

  • $825 million (estimated) – Current

  • $810 million – September 10, 2024; Texas

  • $656 million – March 30, 2012; Illinois, Kansas, Maryland

  • $648 million – December 17, 2013; California, Georgia

This article originally appeared on the Nashville Tennessean: Did anyone win the Mega Millions? December 17 winning numbers, next draw