After nobody hit the jackpot Friday, the Mega Millions jackpot is up to $1.1 billion. If a player wins it Tuesday, it will be the fifth-largest jackpot in the lottery’s history.
This marks the sixth time in less than six years that the jackpot has breached $1 billion, the lottery said in a release.
The winning white balls Friday were 3, 8, 31, 35 and 44. The winning gold ball was 16. To win a jackpot, a player must match all six balls. White balls come with numbers 1-70, with gold balls 1-25.
If the jackpot is won Tuesday and the player selects the annuity option, he or she will receive the $1.1 billion in 30 yearly installments: one immediate payment followed by 29 payments each 5% larger than the last.
If a player selects the lump sum, representing the amount of cash the lottery has available on the day of the draw, the winnings will be $525.8 million before taxes.
There have been 30 Mega Millions drawings since the last jackpot win, a $394 million prize split between two tickets bought at a Chevron gas station in Encino, California, and drawn on Dec. 8.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 a piece and are available in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They’re not available in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and Puerto Rico.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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