NEW YORK (WABC) — The numbers for an estimated $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot have been drawn and now all hopeful players can do is wait until a potential winner is known.
The numbers drawn on Friday night were: 30, 43, 45, 46, 61 and Gold Mega Ball 14.
The jackpot is the second largest in Mega Millions history!
The chances of winning a Mega Millions drawing are slim, one in almost 303 million.
Don’t be discouraged by those odds. Friday the 13th is the day many play and win. So far, six people have won the lottery on Friday the 13th.
Michigan has been particularly lucky with the Mega Millions jackpots on Friday the 13th, winning four of them (June 2008, May 2011, June 2014 and October 2017). That 2017 jackpot was shared with a winner in Rhode Island. Other Friday the 13th jackpots have been won in New York (March 2009) and Ohio (November 2015). However, none of them came close in size to the estimated $1.35 billion at stake.
Despite no one emerging as a billionaire from Tuesday night’s drawing, three people won $3 million, including one in New York and one in Connecticut.
People in New York and New Jersey also had $1 million worth of tickets.
The last time someone won first prize was October 1st. 14. Since then, there have been 25 draws in a row with no one hitting the jackpot.
“So you are 1,363 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery,” said Professor Bruce Torff.
Torff said you are also 27,000 times more likely to die in a plane crash or 1,210 times more likely to die from being struck by a meteor than you are to win the lottery.
Here’s a look at the 10 biggest US jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $2.04 Billion Powerball on November 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, January. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
4. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
5. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, January. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
6. $768.4 million Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
7. $758.7 million, Powerball, August. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
8. $731.1 million, Powerball, January. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
9. $699.8 million, Powerball, October. 4, 2021 (one ticket, from California)
10. $687.8 million, Powerball, October. 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
RELATED: This is what you could buy if you win
The credit for the recent big prizes really goes to the math and harder odds.
In the fall of 2017, lottery officials approved changes to Mega Millions that significantly increased the odds from one in 258.9 million to one in 302.6 million. They made similar changes to Powerball in October 2015, worsening the odds from one in 175.2 million to one in 292.2 million.
The idea was that by making jackpots less common, ticket revenue could add up week after week, creating giant jackpots that would turn heads and attract more players who had grown indifferent to $100 million jackpots or more. $200 million.
In August 2021, Powerball also added a third weekly draw, allowing the jackpot to roll over and grow even faster as people had more opportunities to play and lose. Mega Millions has kept the two weekly draws.
Thanks to those moves, nine of the top 10 lottery prizes have been won since 2017.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
power ball The drawings are also broadcast here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m.
mega millions the draws are broadcast on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m.
The New York Lottery is the largest and most profitable lottery in North America, contributing billions of dollars to help support education in New York State.
Revenues are distributed to local school districts using the same legal formula used to distribute other state aid to education. According to the New York Lottery, the formula takes into account both the size of the school district and its income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive proportionally larger shares of Lottery school funds.
For more information on the New York Lottery and lottery results, visit nylottery.ny.gov..
New Yorkers struggling with gambling addiction, or who know someone who does, can find help by calling the state’s toll-free and confidential HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (467369). Standard text rates may apply.
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