Neptune ShopRite shoppers react to $1.1B Mega Millions jackpot winner
The jackpot is the fifth highest in the game’s nearly three-decade history, agency representatives said in a release.
Will a $2 Mega Millions ticket make you a millionaire this week? It made two lucky jackpot winners rich less than one month a part.
On Christmas Eve 2024, the jackpot hit $1 billion — the 12th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot hit that milestone. Only once has a lottery jackpot surpassed $2 billion (see below). On Friday, Dec. 27, the jackpot shot up to $1.22 billion. The next day, the Florida Lottery reported one ticket in California matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball.
And less than a month later, a much smaller Mega Millions jackpot was claimed again, when a ticket in Arizona won the $113 million jackpot last Friday, Jan. 17.
The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled over twice since it was reset just over a week ago and now sits at $44 million (angel numbers!) for this Tuesday’s drawing.
Although no one claimed the jackpot, there was one big winner in last Friday’s Mega Millions drawing. A ticket purchased in Texas matched 5 plus the Megaplier for a $2 million prize.
The winning numbers for the Mega Millions lottery drawing on Tuesday, Jan. 28 were 8-12-43-52-62 and the Mega Ball was 18. Megaplier was 2x.
Mega Millions tickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about the game, when winning tickets expire in Florida (it differs state by state) and lottery odds. Good luck!
Latest Mega Millions winning numbers
Mega Millions lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. EST on Tuesdays and Fridays. The winning numbers for the Mega Millions lottery drawing on Tuesday, Jan. 28 were 8-12-43-52-62 and the Mega Ball was 18. Megaplier was 2x.
In case you’re wondering, the winning numbers for the drawing on Friday, Jan. 24 were 8-12-43-52-62 and the Mega Ball was 18. Megaplier was 2x.
What day is the next Mega Millions drawing?
Mega Millions drawings are at 11 p.m. EST on Tuesdays and Fridays. The next Mega Millions lottery drawing will be at 11 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.
Could Mega Millions tickets rise to $5? Mega Millions expected to hike ticket prices, make Megaplier changes in 2025. What we know
When was Mega Millions last won? How long the jackpot has rolled over
After less than a month of rolling over, the $113 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot was won on Friday, Jan. 17, when a ticket in Arizona matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball.
Below is a recap of lottery drawings for the latest streak.
Record-setting win: After $2.04 billion Powerball, Edwin Castro bought 2 multimillion-dollar homes in 2 weeks
How long do you have to cash in a Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
How likely is it to win the Mega Millions?
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega Millions site, players have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
Does the Florida Lottery reveal lottery winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
What are the highest Mega Millions jackpots of all time?
As of Jan. 28, 2025, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.
- The largest Mega Millions jackpot won on a single ticket was for $1.58 billion for Aug. 8, 2023, drawing. Final sales pushed the grand prize to $1.602 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Neptune Beach, Florida, Publix. Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida, claimed the prize.
- The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018.
- $1.348 billion won in Maine on Jan. 13, 2023
- $1.337 billion won in Illinois on July 29, 2022
- $1.22 billion won in California on Dec. 27, 2024
- $1.128 billion won in Neptune, New Jersey, on March 26, 2024
- $1.050 billion won in Michigan on Jan. 22, 2021
- $800 million won in Texas on Sept. 10, 2024
- $552 million won in Illinois on June 4, 2024
- $543 million won in California on July 24, 2018
What are the 10 largest U.S. lottery jackpots ever won?
As of Jan. 28, 2025, there have been 12 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
- $2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
- $1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California (ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
- $1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
- $1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
- $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
- $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
- $1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
- $1.22 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, winner TBD from California
- $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
- $1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
- $1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
(This story will be updated.)
