Mega Millions jackpot nears $1 billion for Christmas Eve lottery drawing

A lucky lottery player may get a big present on Christmas Eve: The Mega Millions jackpot is nearly $1 billion. 

Tuesday’s drawing is for an estimated $944 million, or $429.4 million in cash, according to the lottery. The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won at $810 million in Texas on Sept. 10.

No ticket matched all six numbers during the last drawing on Friday night, with white balls 2, 20, 51, 56 and 67, plus the gold Mega Ball 19.

Just 13 Mega Millions jackpots have been won during December since the game began in 2022. If someone wins on Tuesday, it would mark just the second Mega Millions jackpot win on Christmas Eve. Someone won a $68 million jackpot in New York on Christmas Eve in 2002, but that prize went unclaimed. 

Very few Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year. It’s only been won three times, which is the fewest won in any single year since the game began. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

The current jackpot would be the seventh largest in history, according to Mega Millions. Last year, a winning player in Florida won the largest ever jackpot, winning $1.602 billion in an Aug. 8 drawing. 

Mega Millions tickets are available in 45 out of 50 U.S. states, in addition to Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 per play. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. EST on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Watch out for lottery scams

People planning to play the lottery should watch out for lottery scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, lottery scams usually involve getting a call, email or letter saying you won a sweepstakes, lottery or prize. Some scams may ask people to pay money in order to access their winnings.

Mega Millions says that no representative of the lottery would ever call, text or e-mail anyone about winning a prize. The game also notes that big jackpots draw attention from would-be scammers.

“While people need to be vigilant at all times, this is especially true during periods of larger jackpots,” according to the lottery’s website.

Changes coming to Mega Millions

Mega Millions tickets are set to get more expensive next year. It will cost $5 per play starting in April 2025, more than double the current $2 a ticket.

The ticket price change will lead to bigger jackpots and better odds of winning, according to Mega Millions. The change in April will mark the second price increase since Mega Millions was launched.

“We are creating a game that both our existing players and people new to Mega Millions will love and get excited about playing,” Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said when the news was announced. “We expect more billion-dollar jackpots than ever before, meaning creating more billionaires and many more millionaires as the jackpots climb, plus this game will continue the important legacy of supporting great causes everywhere Mega Millions is played.”