New year, new $1 billion lottery jackpot. Actually, the next Mega Millions pot is estimated at $1.1 billion -- and climbing.
No one hit the jackpot Friday night, marking the 24th consecutive Mega run without a big winner. The jackpot is currently the third-largest in the game's history and the odds aren't great (1 in 302.6 million of hitting all six numbers), which is probably why it's been two months and counting that we've seen someone take it all home.
Remember, that $2 billion Powerball jackpot in November came after 40 or so drawings. And a single ticket won.
Your next shot at the Mega is Tuesday night. The drawing is at 11 p.m. ET and tickets stop being sold 15 minutes earlier -- so don't be one of those forlorn people waiting in line at the bodega and 10:46 p.m. and missing out. (Obtenga todos los detalles en español aquí .)
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
There are smaller winning opportunities, of course -- nine ways you can win in all. To hit the jackpot, you've got to get the five numbers plus the Mega Ball right. Choose five numbers from 1 to 70 and one from 1 to 25 for your Mega Ball.
While there aren't any specific strategies, per se (see 1 in 302.6 million odds), there are avenues that might give you a better shot. For example, if you're one of those people who select birthdays or anniversaries or any particular dates, keep in mind you're limiting yourself to less than half of the available numbers. Months go to 31 days max.
Some lotto aficionados also say opting for quick-pick (as in, go to bodega, say clerk, just give me a ticket) lowers your chances, but unless they won, what do any of them really know?
Want to know the most common winning numbers? We've got some here for you, courtesy of USAMega.com. See their full list here.
While no grand prize winners came from Friday's drawing, a number of people in New York and New Jersey had tickets worth $1 million -- not a bad consolation prize for second place. You have to match all five white balls for that one.
Of those five tickets, two were sold in New York, while another was sold in New Jersey. It was not immediately clear where in each state the tickets were sold. There was also one winner each sold in Florida and Maryland as well.
Along with the $1 million prizes, 115 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. Of those, 15 were worth $30,000 each because they included the Megaplier; the others are worth $10,000 each.
The new estimated prize of $1.1 billion is for a winner who chooses an annuity paid annually over 29 years. Grand prize winners usually take the cash option, which for Tuesday night’s drawing will be an estimated $568.7 million.
The only Mega Millions jackpots larger than Tuesday's estimated pot have been the $1.53 billion won in South Carolina in 2018 and $1.33 billion winning ticket in Illinois in July, Mega Millions said in a statement.
The game is played in 45 states as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
