The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to an estimated $800 million with a cash option of $401.8 million for Tuesday’s drawing after no one matched all the winning numbers for Friday night’s drawing.
The jackpot was last won in Illinois on June 4 with a ticket valued at $552 million.
Lotto Texas and Texas Powerball have drawings Saturday night. The Lotto Texas jackpot is up to $17.25 million, with a cash value of $10.1 million. The Texas Powerball jackpot is up to $112 million, with an estimated cash value of $55.3 million.
Only two Mega Millions jackpots have been won so far this year. Before the Illinois winning ticket, a $1.1 billion winning ticket was purchased in New Jersey in March. That prize is still unclaimed. Winners in New Jersey have one year to claim their winnings. In Texas, tickets must be claimed no later than 180 days after the draw date, according to the Texas Lottery website.
Tickets are sold in Texas and 44 other states, Washington, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets are $2 each. Half of the proceeds from the sale of each Mega Millions ticket remains in the state where the ticket was sold.
The odds of winning the jackpot are one in more than 302 million. The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24.
The top Mega Millions jackpot ticket — $1.6 billion — was sold in Florida in August of last year.
The top six record-breaking jackpots are all more than $1 billion. Although some Texans have won smaller prizes, the historic winning tickets have never been sold in the Lone Star State.
The Associated Press and Dallas Morning News staff reports