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What are the odds you win the lottery?
What are the odds you win the lottery? You're more likely to be struck by lightning.
A Mega Millions player is waking up a mega-millionaire this morning after one ticket hit the $1.22 billion jackpot on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024.
According to Mega Millions, a single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers drawn . The jackpot is worth an estimated $1.22 billion ($549.7 million cash); it’s the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot in history, and the seventh Mega Millions jackpot greater than $1 billion. The winning ticket was sold in Cottonwood, Calif.
Mega Millions 12/27/24 winning numbers
The winning numbers for December 27 are: white balls 3, 7, 37, 49 and 55, plus the gold Mega Ball 6.
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In addition to the jackpot winner, there were more than 5.6 million winning tickets across all prize tiers Friday night. Five tickets matched the five white balls to win the game’s second-tier prize; two were sold in California, and one each in Arizona, Missouri and Texas.
A selection of numbers are picked for the Mega Millions lottery at a liquor store on December 27, 2024 in Hawthorne, California. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
Across the country, 157 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the game’s third-tier prize. Twenty-eight are worth $30,000 each because they included the optional Megaplier (available in most states with an extra $1 purchase), which was 3X Friday night. The other 129 third-tier winning tickets take home the standard $10,000 each.
2024 Mega Millions jackpots
It’s only the fourth Mega Millions jackpot won in 2024. This year saw the fewest jackpots won since the lottery game began in 2022. Here’s a look back at them:
- Dec. 27 – $1.22 billion jackpot in California
- Sept. 10 – $810 million jackpot in Texas
- June 4 – $552 million jackpot in Illinois
- March 26 – $1.13 billion jackpot in New Jersey
When is the next Mega Millions drawing?
The next Mega Millions drawing is on Tuesday, December 31. The jackpot resets to its current starting value of $20 million ($9 million cash). There has never been a Mega Millions jackpot win on New Year’s Eve.
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Mega Millions: How to play
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Tickets are currently $2 each, and in most areas, players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes. However, the price of a ticket will more than double to $5 starting in April 2025, with lottery officials promising larger prizes and more winners.
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The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials – and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.