Who won Tuesday’s $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot?

Did you get a ticket? Millions of people across the country certainly did, many more than just one, with the dream of changing their life completely overnight. The Mega Millions jackpot has been rolling over since 8 December last year and we knew that if the $1.13 billion jackpot were to be won, it would represent the fifth-largest Mega Millions prize ever, and the largest since the $1.6 billion prize was won in August 2023 in Florida. That was the highest amount ever and the top prize has exceeded $1 billion only six times!

We all watched closely as the numbers came in – 7-11-22-29-38 with a 4 golden ball and a 2X Megaplier – and carefully checked our ticket(s). Some of us won nothing. Others won some of the smaller prizes. But guess what... ONE SINGLE TICKET won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot!! They can now choose to get that across 30 payments or a one-time cash payout of $537.5 million.

$1.13 billion Mega Millions winner: what we know

That’s right, someone has beaten those astronomical 1 in 302.6 million odds to win the jackpot by holding a ticket that matched all five winning numbers plus the Mega Ball drawn.

As you may imagine, information on the winner is scarce but we have been informed that the Mega Millions winning ticket was purchased in New Jersey. As more is revealed we’ll update this article. My question is, will the winner pile the bills up like this?

What are the biggest Mega Millions jackpots ever?

The 8 August 2023 jackpot was only the fifth to have exceeded the $1 billion mark in Mega Millions history – we’re now up to six – and at $1.58 billion became the biggest to be won since the lottery began.

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“There’s always an air of excitement around the country when Mega Millions jackpots soar,” Gretchen Corbin, the lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said. “The growing jackpot is a source of entertainment and winnings for players while generating important dollars for the good causes supported by each lottery.”

The second-largest ever Mega Millions jackpot win was in October 2018, when a player in South Carolina claimed a $1.537 billion prize.

Mega Millions: how to play

A ticket costs $2. To play, you have to choose six numbers from two separate pools: five ‘white’ numbers between 1 and 70, plus a ‘Mega Ball’ number from 1 to 25. To secure the jackpot, all six numbers must match those that are drawn.

Jackpot winners can receive their money in annual installments (the annuity option) or as a lump sum (the cash option). While annuity recipients get the jackpot in full, those who opt to be paid up front are given a smaller sum. Winnings are pre-tax amounts.

Smaller cash prizes are also available for players who correctly guess some, but not all, of the numbers drawn. In some states, players can pay an extra $1 to multiply non-jackpot winnings by two, three, four or five times, depending on the ‘Megaplier’ number selected before the draw itself.

Where in the US can you play Mega Millions?

Tickets are sold in every state in the US except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. You can also play in the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Mega Millions draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT.