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Four of the five numbers in the numerical sequence (56-66-67-68-69) made up the unusual winning combination of Mega Millions on Tuesday night, which no player matched in the United States.
After no owner being found, the prize money has skyrocketed from 740 million dollars to 825 million.
The cash prize option for the upcoming draw, scheduled for the night of December 20, now stands at 382.2 million.
In addition to the unique combination 56-66-67-68-69, the Mega Ball was 18 and the Megaplier was 4x.
Although there were no winners of the jackpot, five tickets matched the five white balls and won the second prize of the game.
One of them, sold in North Carolina and which included the optional Megaplier, will take home four million.
The other four winning tickets, sold in California (2), Louisiana, and Oklahoma, will each receive one million dollars.
If there is a winner this Friday, this prize could become the largest ever won in December and the seventh largest in the history of Mega Millions, which began in 2002.
Historical Mega Millions prizes
In previous drawings, Mega Millions has awarded historic prizes.
The last jackpot was won on September 10 by a player in Texas, who took home $810 million.
On March 26, a resident of New Jersey won $1.13 billion, while a player from California won $395 million last December.
Other significant prizes include the 360 million won in October and the 1.58 billion won by a fortunate player in Florida in August, the largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
However, the largest lottery prize in the United States remains the Powerball, with a total of $2.04 billion, won in California in 2022.
How do you play?
To participate in Mega Millions, players must choose six numbers. Five of these are selected from 1 to 70 (white balls), and one additional number is chosen from 1 to 25 (the golden Mega Ball).
You can also choose the Easy Pick/Quick Pick option, which generates a random selection of numbers. There are nine ways to win, with prizes ranging from two dollars to the grand jackpot.
In the event of winning the jackpot, players have two payment options. The first is an annuity payment, which starts with an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year to maintain purchasing power.
The second option is cash payment, which consists of a single payment of the accumulated amount, subject to state and federal taxes.
Mega Millions can be played in 45 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is not available in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
Tickets cost two dollars, and the drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET.
This lottery began on August 31, 1996, under the name "The Big Game," and its first drawing took place on September 6 of that year with participation from six states: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia.
Since then, Mega Millions has become one of the most popular lotteries with the largest jackpots in the United States.
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