10th-largest Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs: Is your state due for a win?

(NEXSTAR) – After no ticket was able to match the winning numbers drawn on Friday, the Mega Millions jackpot has ballooned to an estimated size large enough to rank among the biggest in game history.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing, game officials estimate the Mega Millions jackpot to be $707 million. That puts it at the 10th-largest prize in game history, edging out a jackpot split by three tickets in 2012:

1. $1.602 billion: Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
2. $1.537 billion: Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
3. $1.348 billion: Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
4. $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022; Illinois
5. $1.269 billion: Dec. 27, 2024; California
6. $1.128 billion: March 26, 2024; New Jersey
7. $1.050 billion: Jan. 22, 2021; Michigan
8. $980 million: Nov. 14, 2025; Georgia
9. $810 million: Sept. 10, 2024; Texas
10. Est. $707 million: Current

It also ranks as the largest lottery grand prize of the year, though a Powerball jackpot may be fast approaching. This has been a relatively quiet year for Mega Millions, with the current jackpot being only the third of the year.

Among the various methods in which players have been known to “increase” their chances of winning (mathematically, there’s only one true way to do that) is seeking out “hot” and “cold” options. Maybe that’s buying certain numbers or shopping at a retailer that recently sold a big winner. Or maybe it’s considering whether or not to buy tickets in another state.

While that can have some influence on the taxes you’ll pay, should you win the jackpot, it is clear that some states have been luckier than others.

New York, one of the worst states for winners, has sold 42 jackpot-winning Mega Millions tickets since 2002. California is close behind at 37, an analysis by Nexstar found.

Meanwhile, there are 19 jurisdictions still awaiting their first Mega Millions jackpot: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Technically, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah haven’t sold a jackpot-winning ticket either, and they won’t anytime soon. For their own reasons, these five states do not participate in Powerball or Mega Millions. Alabama doesn’t participate anymore, either, but it did see a jackpot-winning ticket in 2003.

Nine more states have sold only one grand prize Mega Millions ticket: Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Idaho and Kansas.

Among those, Idaho is experiencing the longest drought, having last sold a jackpot-winning ticket in 2011. Only one other state hasn’t seen a winner since 2011: North Carolina.

Instead of a “cold” state, maybe you would prefer one that has sold a winning Mega Millions ticket in this decade. Look no further than Ohio, which sold the most recent jackpot-winning ticket, worth $60 million, in March. Days earlier, a ticket sold in Illinois secured a jackpot worth $536 million.

California has a track record for selling tickets that win record-setting prizes. Of the 20 largest Mega Millions jackpots ever won, five were won by tickets sold in California (two were split with a ticket sold in another state). That includes a $1.269 billion prize won in 2024.

The interactive map below shows how long it has been since each state last sold a Mega Millions jackpot-winning ticket:

Jackpots split by tickets sold in different states are included in each state’s cumulative total.

If you’re ready to try your luck, Mega Millions tickets are $5 each and sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The next drawing is at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

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