Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $1B, Giving NJers Another Chance At Riches

NEW JERSEY — The historically large Mega Millions jackpot officially graduated from the "millions" category. The jackpot for Friday night's Mega Millions swelled to $1.02 billion after no one matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball on Tuesday night, but the game's top prize will likely grow as lottery fever reaches a frenzied pace.

As it stands now, the Mega Millions cash option is $602.5 million. Friday's drawing is at 11 p.m. In New Jersey, participants must purchase tickets before 10:45 p.m. Friday to become eligible.

"We look with anticipation on the growing jackpot," Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, current lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a news release. "Seeing the jackpot build over a period of months and reaching the billion-dollar mark is truly breathtaking. We encourage customers to keep play in balance and enjoy the ride. Someone is going to win."

Several players did win lower-value prizes in Tuesday's drawing by matching some of the winning numbers — 7-29-60-63-66. The Mega Ball number was 15, and the Megaplier number was 3x.

The following New Jersey stores sold tickets that matched all five white balls in Tuesday's drawing, each generating $1 million:

• 7-Eleven, 29 County Rd., Tenafly
• Circle K, 200 Richmond Ave., Point Pleasant

Mega Millions tickets are available at gas stations, convenience stores and supermarkets in states where the game is played, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only five U.S. states — Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah — haven't authorized the Mega Millions game.

The jackpot for Friday's drawing is the third-largest in the history of the game, and the fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. But as ticket sales increase, the jackpot could eclipse the $1.o5 billion prize claimed by a player in Michigan.

The largest jackpot in U.S. history was the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot shared by players from California, Florida and Tennessee on Jan. 13, 2016. A single player from South Carolina won the $1.537 billion Mega Million ticket on Oct. 23, 2018.

Overall chances of winning any prize are 1 in 24. The chances of winning the jackpot are much lower — about 1 in 302.5 million. For perspective, the odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million, according to the CDC.