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Nobody has hit the jackpot since April, and the prize is now the largest in Mega Millions history.
WASHINGTON — Mega Millions soared to record heights ahead of Tuesday night's drawing, giving lottery players the chance to snatch the largest Mega Millions prize ever and the third-largest lottery prize overall.
It has been a long stretch of jackpot futility, but Tuesday night's 32nd straight drawing since the last winner still isn't a record. The longest run for a Mega Millions jackpot was 36 drawings that ended on Jan. 22, 2021, with someone winning a $1.05 billion 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.
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 Tuesday's drawing is $783.3 million.
Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023:
The winning numbers were: 13, 19, 20, 32, 33 Mega Ball 14 and 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?
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $1.58 billion (estimated), Mega Millions
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
- $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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