The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $600 million for Tuesday night’s drawing after nobody won the $555 million prize on Friday the 13th. The rollover turns an already huge jackpot into one of the biggest of the year, and ticket sales are expected to surge over the weekend.
There was no grand prize winner from the Friday, November 13 drawing, when the jackpot stood at $555 million. The prize now rises to an estimated $600 million for the next drawing on Tuesday, November 17. The Mega Millions game is drawn on Tuesday and Friday nights, so players have the weekend to buy in before the next draw.
A Friday the 13th without a winner
The unlucky date did not produce a lucky winner. Friday the 13th drawings always draw extra attention, and this one was no exception, with the $555 million prize on offer. But no ticket matched all six numbers, so the jackpot rolls over and grows by $45 million for Tuesday.
The odds remain brutally long: one in about 302.6 million for the jackpot, and players should treat a $2 ticket as entertainment, not an investment plan. The advertised jackpot is the annuity value, paid as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments, while the cash option is always considerably less.
Two jackpots up for grabs this weekend
Players do not have to wait until Tuesday for a big draw. The Powerball jackpot stands at $63 million for tonight, Saturday, November 14, at 10:59 p.m. ET, with a cash value of about $26.3 million, after nobody matched all six numbers on Wednesday, November 11, when the winning numbers were 8, 42, 45, 51 and 57 with Powerball 17.
Anyone playing should check the cut-off time in their state, keep the ticket somewhere safe, and remember that lottery winnings are taxed. Players in most states can also add the Megaplier for an extra $1, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes. Friday’s $555 million draw was covered here before the numbers came in, and Wednesday’s Powerball numbers are listed here. With $600 million on the table on Tuesday, the queues at lottery counters will be long, and the dream, as ever, costs $2.
