Mega Millions jackpot surges to $1 billion for Christmas Eve drawing
(WISH) — The Mega Millions jackpot for Christmas Eve on Tuesday hit $1 billion.
It’s the seventh time the jackpot has hit the billion-dollar mark, the lottery game said Tuesday afternoon.
The winning numbers were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, with Mega Ball 3. The Megaplier was three times.
The billion-dollar jackpot would translate to $448.8 million in cash, Mega Millions reports.
Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a news release, “‘Tis the season of giving, and today we’re thrilled to be able to raise the Mega Millions jackpot for the Christmas Eve drawing to $1 billion. The dream of that sum of money is just so much fun to think about, especially around the holidays, when there’s already a sense of magic in the air. Can you imagine going to bed and then waking up on December 25, checking your ticket and realizing you just won a $1 billion jackpot?”
The jackpot has been growing since Sept. 10, when an $810 million jackpot was won with a ticket sold in Texas.
Each ticket for the game costs $2 minimum. Mega Millions operates in 45 states, including Indiana, and in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A buyer of a Mega Millions ticket in Florida was the game’s largest jackpot ever, $1.602 billion, in the Aug. 8, 2023, drawing.