() — There is still time to win big in the lottery before the end of the year.
The Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated $565 million after no one took home the jackpot in the drawing on Friday, December 23. The next drawing is scheduled for December 27, and if anyone wins the jackpot, it would be the sixth largest in the game’s history, according to the Mega Millions website.
Friday’s winning numbers were 15, 21, 32, 38, 62 and Mega Ball 8. Although no ticket matched all six numbers in that drawing, two tickets sold in California and Illinois matched five and claimed the second-highest prize, the company said. lottery in a press release.
The last time the Mega Millions jackpot was won was on October 14, when two tickets sold in California and Florida shared a $502 million prize.
Lottery jackpots have gotten bigger and bigger in recent years as the games have expanded to more states and more number combinations have been added. And as the jackpots grow, more people buy tickets, making the odds of winning smaller and smaller.
In July, a ticket in Illinois won a nearly $1.34 billion jackpot, the second-biggest Mega Millions jackpot and the third-biggest of any US lottery game. Two people came forward to claim it in October and opted to win. for accepting a lump sum payment of $780.5 million, according to the Illinois Lottery.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot was approximately $1.54 billion, won with a ticket in South Carolina in 2018. Seven of the 10 highest Mega Millions jackpots have been won in the last five years.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions lottery are 1 in 302.5 million.
