At $944M, jackpot could become largest Mega Millions prize won on Christmas Eve

(NEXSTAR) – Christmas Day could become even more magical for someone, if they’re able to match all six winning numbers for a record-setting Mega Millions jackpot. 

Without a winner in Friday’s drawing, the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated $944 million, with a cash option of roughly $429.4 million. Should there be a winner in the next drawing, slated for 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday, it would mark only the second time a Mega Millions jackpot has been hit on Christmas Eve, game officials said.

It was December 2002 – Mega Millions’ first year – when a ticket in New York landed a $69 million prize. It later went unclaimed. 

The current jackpot up for grabs, which has been brewing since a Texas ticket landed an $810 million jackpot in September, is the seventh-largest in game history. 

1. $1.602 billion: Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
2. $1.537 billion: Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
3. $1.348 billion: Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
4. $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022; Illinois
5. $1.128 billion: March 26, 2024; New Jersey
6. $1.050 billion: Jan. 22, 2021; Michigan
7. Est. $944 million (Current jackpot)
8. $810 million: Sept. 10, 2024; Texas
9. $656 million: Mar. 30, 2012; Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland
10. $648 million: Dec. 17, 2013; California and Georgia

The jackpot would need to grow by more than $136 million to become one of the largest across Mega Millions and Powerball. It currently ranks 12th overall, coming in behind the $1.05 billion prize won by a Michigan ticket in 2021.

1. $2.04 billion (Powerball): Nov. 7, 2022; California
2. $1.76 billion (Powerball): Oct. 11, 2023; California
3. $1.602 billion (Mega Millions): Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
4. $1.586 billion (Powerball): Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee
5. $1.537 billion (Mega Millions): Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
6. $1.348 billion (Mega Millions): Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
7. $1.337 billion (Mega Millions): July 29, 2022; Illinois
8.  $1.326 billion (Powerball): April 6, 2024; Oregon
9. $1.128 billion (Mega Millions): March 26, 2024; New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion (Powerball): July 19, 2023; California

Ready to try your luck? Your odds of winning any Mega Millions prize aren’t bad – 1 in 24 – but your odds at the grand prize are much slimmer – 1 in 302,575,350. (Game officials have said that expected changes next year will make your odds better – for a price.)

Your odds of winning remain the same everywhere in the country, but New York and California have sold the most Mega Millions jackpot-winning tickets at 42 and 36, respectively, based on game data. Twenty states have yet to sell one.

Tickets, sold in 45 states, cost $2, plus an additional $1 if you opt for the Megaplier (available in most participating jurisdictions). With or without a jackpot winner Tuesday, the next drawing will be held at 11 p.m. ET on Friday.