Jan 23, 2021

1 winner of Mega Millions $1B prize; 3rd largest ever in US

Posted Jan 23, 2021 3:30 PM

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, making it the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

The winning numbers drawn Friday are: 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in Novi, Michigan — a city about 8 miles (13 kilometers) northwest of Detroit — according to the Michigan Lottery website.

The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since Sept. 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20 million.

Friday night’s drawing comes two days after a ticket sold in Maryland matched all six numbers drawn and won a $731.1 million Powerball jackpot.

Only two lottery prizes in the U.S. have been larger than Friday’s jackpot. Three tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016, and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018.

The jackpot figures refer to amounts if a winner opts for an annuity, paid in 30 annual installments. Most winners choose a cash prize, which for the Mega Millions jackpot is $739.6 million.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are incredibly steep at one in 302.5 million.

The game is played in 45 states including Kansas and Missouri as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.