Mass. lottery jackpot swells to record $21.6M ahead of Wednesday drawing

The jackpot has climbed to more than $20 million for a Massachusetts State Lottery drawing game scheduled for Wednesday night — the largest jackpot in the game since 1985 and second-largest in game history.

The jackpot for the “Megabucks” drawing on July 1 was worth $21.6 million as of just before noon that day, with an estimated cash value of $14.68 million.

This is the second-largest jackpot prize in game history, just behind the record $21.7 million prize won on Oct. 16, 1985.

The largest prize won in “Megabucks” history is $21.7 million, which was split among eight winning tickets in the game’s drawing on Oct. 16, 1985. It was the third largest jackpot in U.S. history at the time.

The “Megabucks” jackpot has not been hit since April 21, 2025, when a $1.97 million jackpot was won on a ticket sold in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston.

The drawing for the $21.6 million jackpot will be held at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

Tickets cost $2 each and can be purchased at Massachusetts State Lottery retailers until 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Megabucks” drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 9 p.m.

The largest prize won on a single ticket in “Megabucks” history was worth $16.35 million, won on the Sept. 10, 2022 drawing on a ticket sold in Ware. At the time, the game was called “Megabucks Doubler.”

However, the game was redesigned in 2023 with a new name, the addition of a third weekly drawing and “to bring more value to players, including better odds of winning, higher average jackpots (and) bigger payouts for all non-jackpot prizes,” according to the Lottery.

Massachusetts State Lottery

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