Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Drawing nears for $640 million Mega Millions prize

Lottery players will have a chance to ring in the New Year with a $640 million bonus in their bank account as a drawing is held in the Mega Million game

Via AP news wire
Friday 30 December 2022 16:59 GMT
Mega Millions Jackpot
Mega Millions Jackpot (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Lottery players will have a chance to ring in the New Year with a $640 million bonus in their bank account as a drawing is held Friday night in the Mega Million game.

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 $640 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 $328.3 million.

The jackpot is the largest since a $2.04 billion Powerball prize was won Nov. 8 in California. A winner hasn't been announced for that record-setting payout.

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

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in