(NEXSTAR) — An enormous lottery jackpot is once again up for grabs, although the expected taxes might dampen the excitement of the lucky winner. This marks the second time this year that a near-record prize is being offered.
The Mega Millions draw on Halloween night saw no winners for the numbers 2, 24, 52, 66, 68, and the gold Mega Ball 9. This lack of winners has now increased the jackpot to an estimated $800 million for the upcoming Tuesday draw.
Even without further increases, this jackpot—with a cash option of $371.7 million—is set to be the ninth-largest in Mega Millions history.
- $1.602 billion: Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
- $1.537 billion: Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
- $1.348 billion: Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
- $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022; Illinois
- $1.269 billion: Dec. 27, 2024; California
- $1.128 billion: March 26, 2024; New Jersey
- $1.050 billion: Jan. 22, 2021; Michigan
- $810 million: Sept. 10, 2024; Texas
- Est. $800 million: Current
- $656 million: Mar. 30, 2012; Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland
This prize also ranks as the 16th-largest jackpot when considering both Powerball and Mega Millions games, coming in just $10 million short of the Texas prize won in September 2024.
If someone wins this jackpot in the next four weeks, it would be the first Mega Millions grand prize awarded in November since 2016. It would also be the largest November win ever, surpassing the $324 million record set in New York back in 2014.
