MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT INCREASED TO $900 MILLION FOR FRIDAY’S DRAWING

Wednesday night’s Powerball jackpot remains at $345 million,

in-state Megabucks Doubler jackpot at $3.4 million

BRAINTREE, MA (OCTOber 17, 2018) – The Mega Millions jackpot has been increased to an estimated $900 million for Friday night’s drawing.  It is the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.  The cash option on the prize is an estimated $513.4 million.

“With the Mega Millions jackpot at its all-time high and the Powerball jackpot gaining momentum, this is an exciting time for our customers and our retail partners and we encourage people to keep the experience of playing these and other lottery games fun by playing responsibly,” said Michael Sweeney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery.

Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing will be the 25th since the jackpot was last hit July 24, when a $543 million jackpot was won by a group of 11 co-workers on a ticket sold in California.

The largest U.S. lottery jackpot of all time is $1.586 billion.  Tickets sold in California, Florida and Tennessee each won a share of that record-setting Powerball jackpot on January 13, 2016.  The largest jackpot ever won on a single ticket in U.S. lottery history is $758.7 million.  A ticket sold in Chicopee, MA for the August 23, 2017 drawing was the lone winner of that Powerball jackpot.

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot for the Wednesday, October 17 drawing is an estimated $345 million, while the jackpot for Wednesday night’s in-state Megabucks Doubler drawing is an estimated $3.4 million.

Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing will be the 19th since the jackpot was last hit August 11, when a $245.6 million jackpot was won on a ticket sold in New York.  The $345 million jackpot is the game’s largest since the March 17 drawing, when a $456.7 million jackpot was won on a ticket sold in Pennsylvania.

Mega Millions tickets are $2 each and can be played in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Tickets for Friday’s drawing can be purchased until 10:45 p.m. Friday at Massachusetts Lottery retailers throughout the state.  Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET in Atlanta, GA.

Powerball tickets are $2 each and can be played in 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Tickets for Wednesday’s drawing can be purchased until 9:50 p.m. Wednesday at Massachusetts Lottery retailers across the state.  Drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET in Tallahassee, Florida.

Megabucks Doubler tickets are $1 each and can only be purchased in Massachusetts.  Tickets can be purchased until 10:45 p.m. the night of the drawing.

All drawings are available via the Lottery’s website – masslottery.com, and can also be viewed on the Lottery’s official Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.