This Halloween, the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to a staggering $754 million, marking the largest-ever prize offered on October 31. The jackpot surged after no ticket matched all six numbers in the Tuesday, October 28 drawing. The numbers drawn were 2, 19, 33, 53, 61, with the Mega Ball 14, but none of the tickets managed to win the grand prize. As a result, the prize pool for Friday’s drawing has climbed to new heights, with the cash option estimated at $352.8 million.
Halloween Drawing: A Trick or Treat for Mega Millions Players
For the first time, the Mega Millions jackpot has topped the $750 million mark for a Halloween drawing, setting a new record. While Halloween has seen six previous Mega Millions drawings, none of them have ever resulted in a jackpot winner. If someone correctly matches all six numbers in the drawing on Friday, they could opt for the one-time cash payment of $352.8 million. This prize would become the largest ever awarded on Halloween.
As of the most recent drawing, the total winnings across all prize levels amounted to almost $10.1 million, with 502,089 tickets winning various amounts. The draw also saw eight tickets match four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. The prizes from these eight tickets varied depending on the multiplier applied, with three tickets winning $20,000 at 2X (Illinois, South Carolina, Texas), three winning $30,000 at 3X (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas), and two winning $40,000 at 4X (Massachusetts, New York).
As stated in a press release, this massive jackpot has been rolling over since it was last won on June 27, when a ticket in Virginia claimed $348 million. Since that time, 35 drawings have been held, and during those, over 10.5 million tickets were sold, yielding prizes totaling nearly $251 million. This included 17 second-tier prizes, with eight tickets winning $20,000 or more, and over 230 third-tier prizes ranging from $20,000 to $100,000.
The Mega Millions jackpot has now become the 9th-largest in the game’s history, ranking alongside the top jackpots, including the record-breaking $1.6 billion prize won in Florida in August 2023. Despite the sizable prize on offer, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot remain a formidable 1 in 290.47 million.
How to Play and What You Need to Know
Mega Millions tickets can be purchased at any participating retailer, with the price for a standard ticket set at $5. Players select six numbers, including five white balls numbered from 1 to 70 and one gold Mega Ball, numbered from 1 to 24. For players who prefer convenience, a “Quick Pick” option is available, where the numbers are randomly chosen by a computer.
Earlier this year, the Mega Millions game underwent changes, including an increase in ticket price and the addition of a multiplier feature. The multiplier, previously an optional $1 add-on, is now automatically included in all tickets. This allows players to win up to 10 times the value of their non-jackpot prizes. The multiplier can apply to prizes ranging from $10 to $1 million, depending on the winning tier.
Friday’s Halloween drawing will be the latest chapter in a series of impressive Mega Millions prizes. The jackpot, while not yet among the top three all-time biggest, is still significant, placing it on a list of major lottery wins. The largest Mega Millions prize in history was the $1.6 billion won in 2023, followed by the $1.537 billion prize in 2018, and the $1.348 billion win earlier this year.
Despite the impressive numbers, the jackpot still has a long way to go to reach the top 10 lottery jackpots in U.S. history. The current 10th-place jackpot stands at $1.269 billion, showing just how significant the Mega Millions prize pool can grow.
