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The Mega Millions jackpot will rollover on Friday (December 19) after zero players matched all six numbers during the $80 million ($36.2 million cash value) drawing on Tuesday (December 16) night.
The jackpot will now increase to an estimated $90 million ($40.8 million cash value) for Friday night's drawing.
Results from Tuesday's Mega Millions game are listed below:
NUMBERS: 20-24-46-59-65
GOLD BALL: 7
A single ticket sold in New Jersey matched all six numbers during the estimated $90 million Mega Millions drawing on December 2, according to MegaMillions.com. The Mega Millions jackpot previously reset after a single ticket sold in Georgia matched all six numbers during the estimated $980 million Mega Millions drawing on November 14, according to MegaMillions.com.
The drawing was the eighth-highest Mega Millions jackpot in the game's history and the 14th-largest in U.S. lottery history. Mega Millions' largest drawing in history took place on August 8, 2023, when a player from Florida won the jackpot $1.602 billion jackpot, which was the fourth largest in U.S. lottery history.
Mega Millions tickets rose from $2 to $5 prior to the April 8 drawing and officials said the increased revenue will improve a player's odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 290 million, which will lead to more sales.
“People really want big jackpots,” said Joshua Johnston, the Washington state lottery director for the Mega Millions game, via the New York Post. “We expect to see a sales lift on this.”
Higher ticket prices would allow the jackpot to start at $50 million, rather than the $20 million it resets to after a jackpot hits during the last prior drawing, while the next jackpot would swell even larger if there isn't a big winner. Additionally, the minimum prize of $10 on a winning ticket will double given the rise in cost for a ticket, according to lottery officials.
Lottery players will reportedly have a 1 in 23 chance to win any prize, an improvement from the 1 in 24 odds prior to the price change, officials confirmed to the New York Post. Mega Millions has only previously changed its price one time since its launch in 2002.