“It is the third highest jackpot in the game’s history,” said Danielle Frizzi-Babb, Ohio Lottery communications director.
It also is only the fifth time the jackpot has exceeded $600 million, according to the Mega Millions website.
The cash payout is nearly $377 million after no ticket matched all six numbers for the past 27 drawings. Drawings are at 11 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday.
The record jackpot is $1.537 billion, won Oct. 23, 2018, in South Carolina.
“The excitement that builds around a big Mega Millions jackpot leads to an uptick in sales of the game, and typically helps boost the sales of other lottery games,” Frizzi-Babb said.
Ticket sales from Saturday to Tuesday for the Tuesday drawing were $4.8 million, and the Ohio Lottery is projecting $6 million in sales from Wednesday through Friday for tonight’s drawing, she said.
Mega Millions has been played in Ohio since May 2002 and includes 45 member states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 300 million.
“The odds of winning are the same in Ohio as they are in any other state regardless of how many people are playing or how big the jackpot is. Ohio has had 20 Mega Millions jackpot winners and 46 second-tier $1 million winners since joining the game,” Frizzi-Babb said.
Top Mega Millions jackpots to date:
| Jackpot | Date won |
|---|---|
| $1.537 billion | 10/23/2018 |
| $1.050 billion | 1/22/2021 |
| $660 million | ? |
| $656 million | 3/30/2012 |
| $648 million | 2/17/2013 |
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