Did anyone win the Mega Millions? Lotto numbers from Friday’s draw

On December 21, 2024By Littum

The Mega Millions jackpot is much closer to the $1 billion mark after the second one no jackpot wins Friday night.

Friday night’s drawing saw some winners, but the estimated $825 million jackpot was left behind after no ticket matched all six numbers. It is now at an estimated $944 million with a $429.4 million cash option if won. Now the question is, will anyone be lucky on Christmas Eve at the next drawing?

According to MegaMillions.com, 13 jackpots have been won in December since the game started in 2002. Three were won after Christmas and before New Year’s, 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.

Take a look at the latest Mega Millions winning numbers from Friday and how often we’re seeing $1 billion+ jackpots these days.

Mega Millions winning numbers for Friday, December 20, 2024

Friday evening winning numbers were 2, 20, 51, 56 and 67 and Mega Ball was 19. Megaplier was 2X.

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

The next Mega Millions drawing is at 11:00 PM ET/10:00 PM CT on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2024.

Did anyone win the Mega Millions last night 12/20/24?

No one won the big prize, but there were 2,068,988 winning tickets across all non-jackpot prize levels, including five tickets that were $1 million winners. Two were sold in Indiana and Arkansas, Illinois and Pennsylvania each had one.

How much is a Mega Millions lottery ticket?

A Mega Millions ticket costs $2 per game. For an additional $1, players can add the Megaplier to potentially increase their winnings outside of the jackpot.

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.

Lottery games are mostly only lucrative for the private companies that states hire to run them, Lew Lefton, a faculty member at the Georgia Tech School of Mathematics, said in a USA TODAY article. In fact, it’s even harder to win big in Mega Millions and Powerball now because recent rules make the odds even longer so lottery games can sell more tickets, he added.

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.

How often does the lottery hit $1 billion or more?

Having Powerball or Mega Millions hit the $1 billion mark isn’t as uncommon as it used to be.

In the last five years, there have been 10 jackpots between Mega Millions and Powerball that have exceeded $1 billion. And two have happened in 2024.

The first occurred in March when Mega Millions hit $1.13 billion and the winning ticket was sold in New Jersey. The other was in April, the Powerball hit $1.326 billion and the winning ticket was out of Oregon.

The highest lottery jackpot came in November 2022 at $2.04 billion. It was the second jackpot over $1 billion that year. Before that, the only other times a jackpot hit over a billion were in 2021, 2018 and 2016.

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.

Has anyone not claimed a $1 billion lottery ticket?

Yes, and it happened recently this year.

Mega Millions still has 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.

Has anyone in Tennessee won a $1 billion lottery jackpot?

Powerball made history on January 11, 2016 with the first jackpot of over 1 billion. And so did a Tennessee couple.

John and Lisa Robinson of Munford held one of the three winning tickets in the historic jackpot. Before the couple even confirmed the winning ticket with the Tennessee Lottery, they made their way to the ‘Today’ show to announce their win. John and Lisa Robinson took that lump sum — a little more than $327 million before taxes, Tennessee Lottery officials said. They received a few million dollars immediately, and about 10 days later they were supposed to receive the rest of the prize, according to a 2016 USA TODAY story.

The Munford couple were the biggest winners in Tennessee history.

What should I do if I win the lottery?

Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What you need to know if you win

Here’s what you need to know if you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.

Just the USA TODAY FAQ

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
$944 million (estimated) – Current
$810 million – September 10, 2024; Texas
$656 million – March 30, 2012; Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
$648 million – December 17, 2013; California, Georgia