Lottery

Mega Millions Jackpot Reaches $685 Million Ahead of Friday Night Drawing

No one won the lottery game's top prize Tuesday night, making it 21 straight drawings without anyone matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be Friday night.

Mega Millions Texas ticket
NBC 5 News

The Mega Millions jackpot increased to $685 million ahead of Friday night's drawing, giving lottery players a chance to ring in the New Year with an even larger bonus in their bank account.

There have been 21 straight drawings without a jackpot winner thanks to stiff odds of one in 302.6 million. That has allowed the top prize to grow steadily larger, week after week.

The estimated $685 million prize is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for cash, which for Friday night's drawing would be an estimated $347.8 million.

The huge jackpot comes less than two months after the largest lottery prize ever, a $2.04 billion Powerball prize that was won Nov. 8 in California. So far, that big winner hasn't stepped forward to claim the prize.

The reason for all the big prizes is simple — long odds ensure there are few winners and the long streaks of lottery futility allow jackpots to grow ever larger week after week.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot is one in 302.6 million.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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