Winning numbers drawn for Mega Millions estimated $1.1 billion ...

There was one winning ticket sold for Tuesday night's estimated $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, in New Jersey, the game's officials said. It was the fifth largest pot of gold ever won by Mega Millions players and the first time this year a ticket matched all the numbers needed to get the grand prize.

Mega Millions had gone more than three months without a jackpot winner, with 31 drawings since two tickets in California did the trick on Dec. 8.

Tuesday's winning numbers were 7, 11, 22, 29, 38, and Mega Ball 4.

The estimated jackpot was the eighth largest in U.S. lottery history. The biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever, $1.602 billion, was won on Aug. 8 of last year, when a single winning ticket was sold in Florida. The largest prize in U.S. lottery history, a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot, was won in California in February of 2023.

Jackpot winners have the option of taking a lump sum cash payment or having the winnings dolled out over the course of 30 years in annual installments. Only winners who take the annuity option receive the full jackpot total. The estimated lump sum payment for Tuesday night's drawing was $537.5 million before taxes.

Mega Millions drawings are done Tuesday and Friday nights, while Powerball conducts its drawings on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. Powerball had an estimated jackpot of $865 million as of Tuesday night.

To take home the Mega Millions jackpot, players must match all five white balls plus the yellow Mega Ball. Smaller prizes, as low as $2, are available for matching some, but not all, of the drawn numbers. The odds of winning a Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, but the odds of hitting the jackpot are just 1 in 302,575,350.  

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A standard ticket costs $2, but bonuses can be added for additional fees to increase the payout for non-jackpot prizes.

The next Mega Millions drawing will have a jackpot of an estimated $20 million -- the starting point for jackpot series.

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