Emilie Richardson/ABC News(NEW YORK) — The Mega Millions jackpot on Friday jumped to a record $1 billion.
The drawing for the prize will be on Friday night. A single winner taking the cash lump sum would receive about $565.6 million.
“This is truly uncharted territory, and it’s exciting to see people across the country buying their tickets and joining in the fun,” said Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions Lead Director and the Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming in a statement Friday. ” Hitting the $1 billion mark for the first time is historic, and we can’t wait to meet the winner s who will share in that history.”
Meanwhile, the jackpot for Powerball skyrocketed to almost half a billion after no one won Wednesday.
The winning numbers for Powerball, a comparatively meager sum of just $345 million, were 3-57-64-68-69 and a Powerball of 15. One person in Florida won $2 million, while tickets in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Kentucky each were worth $1 million.
The pot rises to $430 million for Saturday’s drawing. The cash payout is $248 million.
The next drawing for Powerball is Saturday.
But the record numbers are being left to the Mega Millions jackpot, set to be drawn on Friday. The projected prize would be the second-largest payout in U.S. lottery history.
The only lottery payout in history that was larger than Friday’s $1 billion total was a Powerball drawing for $1.59 billion in January 2016. Three winners split that total.
The Mega Millions numbers drawn on Tuesday were 3, 45, 49, 61, 69, and a Mega Ball of 9. Nine people matched all five white balls. Eight won $1 million each, and another also got the Megaplier to win $5 million.
Before the drawing Tuesday, the previous Mega Millions record jackpot was $656 million, which was shared by winners from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland in March 2012.
“It’s always a thrill to have both jackpots rolling, but there’s an extra spark now with Mega Millions reaching a new record,” Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions lead director and Maryland’s lottery and gaming director said in a statement on Tuesday. “Everyone is talking about the jackpot and running out to buy tickets for tonight’s drawing.”
The Mega Millions jackpot has skyrocketed since the July 24 drawing when a group of 11 coworkers in Santa Clara County, California, shared a $543 million jackpot, the game’s fourth-largest.
More than $1.4 billion in combined potential prize money remains up for grabs, with Saturday night Powerball prize estimated at $430 million — or a one-time cash prize of nearly $248 million and Friday’s Mega Millions prize at $1 billion.
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