Mega Millions jackpot rises to $1.1 billion after no winner

Associated Press
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 11:05 a.m. | Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 11:05 a.m.

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Electrician Jose Valles, 59, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., buys a SuperLotto Plus ticket at the gas station that previously sold the $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket award at Joe’s Service Center, a Mobil gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

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Roberto Ramirez, 77, from Guadalajara, Mexico holds a SuperLotto Plus ticket at the gas station that previously sold the $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket award at Joe’s Service Center, a Mobil gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

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Community Leader and former Pasadena city commissioner Allen Shay buys California Lottery tickets to support his community at the gas station that sold the previous $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket award at Joe’s Service Center, a Mobil gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

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A sign for the estimated $940 million jackpot up for grabs is seen at Joe’s Service Center, a Mobil gas station that sold the $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket award in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

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Roberto Ramirez checks his SuperLotto Plus ticket at a terminal at the gas station that previously sold the $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket award at Joe’s Service Center, a Mobil gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

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People wait in line outside the gas station that previously sold the $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket award at Joe’s Service Center, a Mobil gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a big winner.

No one hit all six numbers and won the estimated $940 million jackpot, pushing the lottery prize to an estimated $1.1 billion ahead of the next drawing Tuesday night.

The prize is now the third-largest in U.S. history.

The numbers drawn late Friday were: 3, 20, 46, 59, 63 and gold Mega Ball 13.

There have been 24 drawings without a jackpot winner, stretching back for more than two months. The winless streak is largely due to the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million.

The new estimated prize of $1.1 billion is for a winner who chooses an annuity paid annually over 29 years. Grand prize winners usually take the cash option, which for Tuesday night’s drawing will be an estimated $568.7 million.

“Mega Millions has just reached the $1 billion mark again. It’s especially nice to see the jackpot grow throughout the holidays and into the new year,” Pat McDonald, the Ohio lottery director and lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement early Saturday. “As the jackpot grows, we encourage our players to keep within their entertainment budget and enjoy this jackpot run right along with us.”

The only Mega Millions jackpots larger than the estimated $1.1 billion opportunity on Tuesday have been the $1.53 billion won in South Carolina in 2018 and $1.33 billion winning ticket in Illinois in July, Mega Millions said in the statement.

Elijah Kouza, assistant manager of Buscemi’s convenience store in Livonia, Michigan, said the Mega Millions jackpot drew numerous customers before Friday night’s draw. The $940 million prize was prominently advertised at the store and Kouza expected far more Mega Millions ticket sales than the 20 to 25 normally sold on a Friday.

“It’s kind of hilarious to me, because if it’s like $100 million, people are like, ‘Nah.’ They’ll pass,” he said.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.