Mega Millions Rolls to 14th Largest-Ever Jackpot
Wednesday June 3rd 2020The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled to an awesome $378 million ($297.6 million cash option) for the next draw on Friday, June 5 - the 14th highest-ever top prize in the history of the game.
The top prize is now the biggest seen since June 2019 after no one hit all six numbers during the last draw on Tuesday, June 2, which were white balls 9, 20, 23, 26, and 29 and the gold Mega Ball 8.
There were three big winners last night as players in California, Florida and Ohio each scooped a $1 million Match 5 second prize by matching all five main numbers drawn, only missing the Mega Ball.
Meanwhile, 45 tickets won the $10,000 third prize by matching four of the white balls plus the Mega Ball. In fact, eight of those prizes are actually worth $30,000 each because they added on the Megaplier option to the ticket for an extra $1. The Megaplier number drawn on Tuesday was 3X, tripling the lucky winners' prizes.
Make sure you take a minute to check your tickets and find out if you've had a win recently!
The Mega Millions grand prize has only been won once so far in 2020. The $202 million jackpot was won on February 11 by a single ticket in New Jersey that matched all six numbers. The winner has not come forward to claim their prize yet.
The current run has generated over 15.6 million winning tickets at all prize tiers, of which 30 have been worth $1 million or above.
Coronavirus lottery updates
Lottery offices in most states are still closed due to Covid-19, so if you've been lucky enough to win a prize, check the coronavirus lottery updates page to see how to claim in your area.
In most states you can cash tickets under $600 at retailers and mail in claims for larger amounts. A number of lotteries have also extended prize expiration deadlines while claim centers remain closed.
Claim centers in Georgia, Indiana, Missouri (Jefferson City and Springfield), North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia have reopened to the public, so if you've won a prize in one of these states, you do have the option to claim in person.
South Carolina is offering a temporary drive-through prize claim process at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia this week only, continuing through Friday, June 5.
Some states require an appointment or a minimum prize value to claim in person, and all have social distancing measures in place.
New Jersey and Massachusetts claim centers had been scheduled to reopen but both lotteries have decided to remain closed for the time being. Currently, New Jersey is planning to keep its claims desk closed until at least June 5. Massachusetts claim centers will remain shut through at least June 15.
Big jackpots continue after rule changes
In April, Mega Millions and Powerball eliminated minimum starting jackpots and rollover increases between draws, announcing that they would instead base the amounts on ticket sales. The changes were made to ensure that sales could still support the jackpots, due to Americans playing the lottery less during stay-at-home orders.
In May, Lotto America also announced that it would remove the guaranteed minimum jackpot and roll increases after the June 13 drawing.
In practice, the change hasn't meant that jackpots have grown much more slowly than they did previously. For example, the $190 million Powerball jackpot was last won on April 8 by a player in New Jersey. The jackpot reset to $20 million and subsequently took just 12 rollovers in six weeks to grow to nine figures. Before the rule change, it took 10 rolls to grow to $100 million. The Mega Millions jackpot hasn't been won since the changes were announced.
Play your favorite lottery games from home
The Powerball drawing for a $135 million top prize takes place tonight, Wednesday, June 3.
Also tonight, there's a $2.85 million Lotto America jackpot up for grabs.
The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday, June 5 for a $378 million jackpot.
You don't even need to leave the house to play - you can get your tickets for all these games online.
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