Community Corner

Mega Millions Jackpot Soars To Historic $1.58B: What To Know In CA

Mega Millions, drawn on Tuesday and Friday in California and many other U.S. states, has not been won since April.

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Purchasing a Mega Millions lotto ticket at a local California convenience store.
Purchasing a Mega Millions lotto ticket at a local California convenience store. (Renee Schiavone/Patch)

ACROSS CALIFORNIA — Mega Millions players in California are rushing to get tickets as Tuesday’s jackpot is expected to be the biggest yet, sitting at an estimated $1.58 billion.

Whether a frequent player or a first-time hopeful, here’s what to know about the Mega Millions draw on Tuesday in California.

Mega Millions, drawn on Tuesday and Friday, has not been won since April. Lottery officials said Tuesday morning the jackpot would be a whopping $1.58 billion.

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The one-time cash payout is expected to be $757 million before taxes, which is the largest jackpot in history for this particular game. If anyone wins, it will also be the third-largest jackpot in history.

The cutoff time for purchasing a Mega Millions ticket in California is 7:45 p.m., per the state lottery. A ticket costs $2.

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Players select 5 numbers between 1 and 70, and a Mega Ball number between 1 and 25. Players can also choose the Quick Pick option and have the lottery computer randomly select their numbers.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands so the odds of winning the jackpot are pretty low — about 1 in 302.6 million. One has a better chance of dying in a plane crash or lightning strike.

But it does happen. In February, Californian Edwin Castro came forward as the person who won a $2.04 billion jackpot in the Nov. 7, 2022, Powerball drawing with a ticket purchased in Altadena in Southern California. It remains the largest-ever jackpot in history.

Just last month, a $1.08 billion winning Powerball ticket was sold in Los Angeles. Lottery officials were waiting for the winner to come forward.

Most recently, one lucky Southern California lottery player was said to be holding Saturday's jackpot-winning SuperLotto Plus ticket worth $82 million.

Top 10 U.S. Lottery Jackpots In History

  1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022
  2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016
  3. $1.55 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (anticipated)
  4. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018
  5. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023
  6. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022
  7. $1.050 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021
  8. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019
  9. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017
  10. $754.6 million, Powerball, Feb. 6, 2023

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