July 4 Brings Fireworks for Mega Millions

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Independence Day celebrations could take on extra meaning next Tuesday, July 4, as the Mega Millions® jackpot hits an estimated $400 million ($205.0 million cash). The jackpot continues to grow after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Friday night – the white balls 13, 22, 47, 51 and 55, plus the gold Mega Ball 9.

It was just a year ago when July also began with a big Mega Millions jackpot, and the month ended with a whopping $1.3 billion winner last July 29. Can history repeat itself with another exciting July jackpot run?

While the jackpot grows, the June 30 drawing produced 765,401 winning tickets at all prize levels. One ticket, sold in Texas, matched the five white balls to win the game’s $1 million second-tier prize. Across the country, 23 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. Five of those tickets are worth $30,000 each, because they included the optional Megaplier (available in most states with an extra $1 purchase), which was 3X on Friday night. The other 18 third-tier winning tickets are worth $10,000 each.

Since the last jackpot was won in New York on April 18, there have been a total of more than 10.7 million winning tickets at all non-jackpot prize levels, ranging from $2 to $3 million. These include 13 second-tier prizes of $1 million or more, won in 10 different jurisdictions from coast to coast: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

The year started out with six jackpot winners in less than four months – a number far more typical of a full year! The string included the second-largest prize awarded in Mega Millions history, $1.348 billion won in Maine on January 13, plus two jackpots won at $20 million (both in New York, on January 17 and April 18). There were also two jackpots won in Massachusetts ($33 million on January 24 and $31 million on January 31) and a third jackpot in New York ($483 million on April 14). It was a truly remarkable stretch that shows off the random nature of lottery games – they can be won anytime, anywhere, at any value.

See the complete Mega Millions jackpot history.

Mega Millions is the only lottery game that has awarded four jackpots exceeding $1 billion – one each in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 each; in most jurisdictions, players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia.

Half of the proceeds from the sale of each Mega Millions ticket remains in the state where the ticket was sold, where the money supports designated good causes and retailer commissions.

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