This holiday season, a lucky Mega Millions Jackpot player could receive an extraordinary belated Christmas gift, as the jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.15 billion for Friday’s drawing.

The grand prize reached this milestone after no ticket matched all six numbers in the Christmas Eve drawing. The current jackpot, the largest ever offered in December, comes with a cash option of $516.1 million.

If won, it would mark only the seventh time in Mega Millions Jackpot history that the jackpot has surpassed $1 billion. Previous billion-dollar prizes have been won in South Carolina (2018), Michigan (2021), Illinois (2022), Maine and Florida (2023), and New Jersey earlier this year. Florida holds the record with a $1.602 billion jackpot.

“This holiday season, many will likely receive Mega Millions tickets as gifts,” said Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “Imagine unwrapping a $1.15 billion jackpot! It’s a dream-fulfilling way to celebrate the holidays, no matter the occasion.”

Tuesday night’s winning numbers were 11, 14, 38, 45, 46, and Mega Ball 3. While no ticket matched all six numbers, four tickets—sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania—won $1 million each by matching the first five numbers.

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Mega Millions tickets, priced at $2 each, are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET in Atlanta, Georgia. The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 302.5 million.

The numbers for the Christmas Eve Mega Millions $1 billion jackpot have been drawn. https://t.co/6nsjfBefdW pic.twitter.com/fC5VcXQSHn

— FOX4 News Kansas City (@fox4kc) December 25, 2024