Mega Millions Jackpot Grows To $548 Million, Third Largest Ever
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Mega Millions jackpot has swelled to its third largest total ever, after no one picked all six winning numbers on Tuesday.
Friday's jackpot now stands at an estimated $548 million, with a one-time cash payout of $309 million.
No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since July 24, when a $543 million jackpot was shared by a California office pool of 11 co-workers. That was the largest jackpot ever won on a single ticket.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever, $656 million, was split by winners in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland in March 2012.
Merle and Patricia Butler, a retired couple from the small downstate town of Red Bud, Illinois, claimed a check worth $218,666,667 in April 2012, after the record Mega Millions jackpot was split three ways. The other winners were anonymous.
Mega Millions tickets can be purchased in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.