WASHINGTON — Mega Millions is heating up at the same time the Powerball jackpot crossed the billion-dollar threshold. With no winners Tuesday night, the drawing for Friday rises to an estimated $720 million.
Eight players across the country didn't win the jackpot but are waking up millionaires after matching all five white balls. Tickets sold in Maryland, Florida, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island, plus two in California, won $1 million. Another in Maryland matched with the optional Megaplier for a $4 million win.
The jackpot has been growing for months with no grand prize winners. With the growing Powerball jackpot reaching $1 billion, this week's Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are worth more than $1.7 billion combined.
Mega Millions hasn't seen a grand prize winner since April 18, when a 71-year-old man from New York won the state's largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. Johnnie Taylor of Howard Beach in Queens, New York, won $476 million but opted for the cash option — a lump sum of more than $157 million after taxes.
Winners almost always take the cash option, but they do have a choice to instead get the full amount in regular payments over 29 years. The cash option for Tuesday's drawing was $328.5 million.
Mega Millions winning numbers for July 18, 2023:
The winning numbers were 19-22-31-37-54, Mega Ball 18 and Megaplier 4.
When is the Mega Millions drawing?
Mega Millions drawings take place on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
What are the largest lottery jackpots ever won?
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
- $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan
- $1 billion, Powerball (estimated) - July 19, 2023
- $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
- $731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
- $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021 (one ticket, from California)
The game's giant prizes come with miniscule chances of actually winning — winners overcome odds of roughly 1 in 302.6 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.