Fidel Lule buys a MegaMillion lottery ticket at Won Won Mini Mart in Chinatown Los Angeles, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)
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Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday’s Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion.
Friday’s jackpot will potentially be the fifth largest in the game’s history. Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece.
However, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 303 million, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, according to lottery officials.
Tickets for the game are sold in 45 states, including California, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Three of the 10 largest lottery payout tickets were purchased in California — not including a $1.586 billion payout shared by ticket buyers in California, Florida, and Tennessee.
Top 10 Largest US Lottery Jackpots
1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket, from California)
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket, from Florida)
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
6. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
8. $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024 (one ticket, Oregon)
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024 (one ticket, from New Jersey)
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)