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Nobody has hit the jackpot since April, and the prize is now among the largest in Mega Millions history.
WASHINGTON — Mega Millions is offering its second-largest jackpot ever for Friday night's drawing.
Hours before the drawing, the jackpot swelled to $1.35 billion. If won, it would be the fourth-largest jackpot in U.S. history.
July had been a hot month for lottery prizes after a ticket sold in downtown Los Angeles won the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot.
"There’s always an air of excitement around the country when Mega Millions jackpots soar," said Gretchen Corbin, the Mega Millions Consortium lead director and Georgia Lottery CEO, in a release. "The growing jackpot is a source of entertainment and winnings for players while generating important dollars for the good causes supported by each lottery."
Mega Millions hasn't seen a grand prize winner since April 18, when a 71-year-old man from New York won the state's largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. Johnnie Taylor of Howard Beach in Queens, New York, won $476 million but opted for the cash option — a lump sum of more than $157 million after taxes.
Since mid-April, there have been 30 drawings without a grand prize winner.
Winners almost always take the cash option, but they do have a choice to instead get the full amount in regular payments over 29 years. The cash option for Friday's drawing is $659.5 million.
Mega Millions winning numbers for Friday, Aug. 4, 2023:
The winning numbers were: 11-30-45-52-56 Mega Ball: 20 Megaplier: 2
When is the Mega Millions drawing?
Mega Millions drawings take place on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
What are the largest US lottery jackpots ever won?
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
- EST. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 4, 2023
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
- $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
- $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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