Mega Millions winning numbers: 15, 23, 53, 65, 70; Mega Ball 7
The Mega Millions winning numbers for the $1 billion jackpot 15, 23, 53, 65 and 70 with a Mega Ball of 7. It's the second-biggest jackpot in history.
The $1 billion jackpot has a one-time cash option of $565 million. Or if the winner chooses the annuity option, the jackpot would be paid out over 29 years. The cash option is usually favored by the winners.
The jackpot keeps swelling because nobody has won since July 24, when 11 workers in a California office shared $543 million, the largest prize ever won on a single ticket in the game.
There hasn't been a Powerball winner since Aug. 11, causing the jackpot to rise to $470 million. The next Powerball drawing will be Saturday.
Mega Millions winning numbers
- 15, 23, 53, 65 and 70
- Mega Ball: 7
How to play Mega Millions
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 per play and there are a total of nine ways to win a prize, ranging from the jackpot down to $2. You can play Mega Millions in 46 localities: 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
How late can you play Mega Millions
The Mega Millions cut off time can vary by state. For example: in Pennsylvania, Mega Million ticket sales end at 61 minutes before the drawing – 9:59 p.m. on drawing nights. In most other states, tickets may be purchased up until 15 minutes prior to the drawing –10:45 p.m. ET.
Odds of winning
The odds of winning a jackpot remain abysmal at 1 in 258.9 million for Mega Millions and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball. You are 25,000 times more likely to hit a hole-in-one than you are of winning tonight's jackpot.
Who buys lotto tickets?
About two-thirds of Americans gamble. Last year, they spent $72.97 billion on traditional lottery tickets, according to Gallup.
On average, that's $206.69 per person. "Our obsession with lotteries, with gambling, is that unicorn feeling of, like, 'maybe it'll be me,'" CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger said. She points out that some people don't necessarily play to win.
"They just want to take a moment out of their day to consider how to dream big," Schlesinger said.
The average American spends about $223 per year on lottery tickets, according to a survey from LENDedu. Massachusetts residents have the biggest taste for playing the odds, spending almost $763 per year on lottery tickets, the study found. North Dakotans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending about $44 per year on the lottery, or the lowest average figure among residents of all 50 states.
Aimee Picchi and Justin Carissimo contributed to this report.