Mega Millions Winning Numbers Oct. 23: $1.6 Billion Jackpot

The winning numbers for Tuesday, Oct. 23's Mega Millions jackpot are worth $1.6 billion. The winning numbers are in: 28 70 5 62 65 with a Mega Ball of 5.

The jackpot is the highest in U.S. lottery history, with an estimated cash payout of $904.9 million. At 302 million-to-1 odds, it's not exactly a safe bet.

The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday, Oct. 24, sits at $620 million. That's the third-largest Powerball prize and sixth-largest U.S. lottery prize ever.

The Massachusetts State Lottery said Tuesday afternoon it was selling roughly 8,000 Mega Millions tickets per minute. The Lottery sold more than $13.4 million in tickets for Tuesday night's drawing as of 3:30 p.m., the State House News reported.

One of the biggest cheerleaders lottery players have is the state they live in. If someone in Massachusetts, for instance, wins the jackpot and opts for the lump sum, the state could get about a $46 million tax revenue bump - almost equal to the annual budget of the secretary of state's office, according to the State House News

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Michael Fiorentino has worked at Little Comfort General Store in Whitman for 17 years. During that stretch, the store has sold three $1 million tickets - two to the same person. So, yeah, Fiorentino has seen some stuff.

But this is something else. Little Comfort made about $1,500 in lottery sales in the hour Fiorentino had been on the clock. Most people are playing about $20 worth, some are playing up to $300 worth. Everyone's playing - and everyone wants a ticket at the lucky store.

Some of the people have come in from Dedham and Norwood, about 40 minutes away. They've all left with Mega Millions tickets - some with a little something extra.

"Look at the cooler, it's empty!" Fiorentino said. "It's a happy dream, it's just thinking about it that gets your spirit rolling."

Even in the context of mega lotteries, people can't get enough.

Paramjit Singh, president of Boston Convenience, said at his Cleveland Circle locations that ticket sales are about double for this lottery than previous major ones.

"We usually sell about 2,400 tickets, but so far we're at about 6,000," he said long before the day was over.

And it's bringing in an entirely new group of lottery players.

"People who have never played the lottery before are bringing in their credit cards and having to go get cash from the ATM," said Singh.

Steve Michalski stepped into Boston Convenience around noon Tuesday for a couple tickets. This isn't the first time he's gone through the drill. "I've been chasing it for a while, like everyone else," he said.

If he wins? He said his dream is to "take it easy and relax." He'd share the winnings with family and friends and give some to charity.

To get the $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot, the game has been played 26 times, last hitting on July 24 in California. It tops the $1.586 billion jackpot from Jan. 13, 2016. That prize, which at the time was the biggest ever, had winners in California, Florida, and Tennessee.

The Powerball drawing will be the 21st since Aug. 11, when a $245.6 million jackpot was won in New York. The current jackpot is the most since the $758.7 million prize awarded to a Massachusetts woman last summer - the largest single-ticket prize in North American history.

You can buy Mega Millions tickets in Massachusetts until 10:45 p.m. Tuesday for $2 apiece. If no one wins, the jackpot will grow to unprecedented levels for Friday night's drawing.

Powerball tickets are also $2 each. You have until 9:50 p.m. Wednesday to buy tickets for that evening's drawing.

Megabucks Doubler tickets are $1 apiece and can only be purchased in Massachusetts. You can buy tickets up until 10:45 p.m.

• READ: Powerball Switcharoo A Bummer For Watertown Store
• $758M Powerball Ticket Sold In MA Town — But Lottery Mixes Up Location
• Powerball One-on-One: Watertown vs. Chicopee

Reporting from Jimmy Bentley and Jenna Fisher, Patch, was used in this story. Materials from the State House News was also used. Photo by Jenna Fisher, Patch