Mega Millions jackpot grows to $820 million with a possible cash payout of $422 million
Mega Millions has upped the ante by another $100 million.
The winning numbers for the $720 million Mega Millions jackpot were revealed Friday night. The numbers were 29, 40, 47, 50 and 57 and a Mega Ball of 25.
But the lack of a jackpot winner in the lottery game's latest drawing on Friday night sent the top prize soaring to an estimated $820 million for the next drawing, which will be held on Tuesday. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Tuesdays drawing is an estimated $422 million.
The potential jackpot is the fifth largest in the history of the game, Mega Millions said in a statement early Saturday.
There was no immediate word on whether any winning jackpot tickets had been sold.
The jackpot climbed after there were no winners in Tuesday's $640 million drawing. There have been no Mega Millions jackpot winners since April 18.
Friday's jackpot meanwhile marks the fifth-largest in Mega Millions history. A potential winner would have the choice of taking an estimated lump sum payment of $370.5 million before taxes, or the going with the annuity option, which consists of an immediate payment, followed by 29 annual payments.
Friday's drawing resulted in eight tickets matching five white balls for a $1 million prize. Two each were sold in Florida, New Jersey and North Carolina, with one in California and another in Michigan, Mega Millions said.
There have been four Mega Millions jackpots north of $1 billion, with the largest being a $1.537 billion jackpot in October of 2018, with a single winning ticket sold in South Carolina.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about one in 302.58 million.