Mega Millions creeps toward $1 billion. What to know about next drawing

, The News-Press3 weeks ago

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Mega Millions creeps toward $1 billion. What to know about next drawing

Who won largest lottery prize ever? Edwin Castro won Powerball in November 2022 for $2.04 billion.

2 Florida Publix stores sold a winning Mega Millions and Powerball ticket worth $1.58 billion.
Edwin Castro of Altadena, California, won $2.04 billion Powerball in November 2022. He claimed it on Valentine’s Day 2023.
Almost a billionaire! Edwin Castro opted for the one-time lump sum of $997 million before taxes.
If the $980 million Mega Millions drawing for Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, rolls over, it would be the 14th time in history, a lottery jackpot reached $1 billion.

Will the Friday, Nov. 14, Mega Millions lottery drawing result in another billion-dollar lottery drawing? Let’s just say the jackpot is very close.

According to the Florida Lottery, the Mega Millions jackpot rose to $980 million this holiday season.

The lotteries have rolled over since the last jackpot was struck June 27, growing steadily throughout the summer and fall to nearly $1 billion. The last time someone in Florida claimed a Mega Millions jackpot was Aug. 8, 2023, for $1.58 billion, taking home $794.2 million after their ticket matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball. That ticket was purchased at a Publix in Neptune Beach, Florida.

“The holidays are the perfect time to give back,” Florida Lottery Secretary John Davis said in a news release. “Each Mega Millions ticket bought in Florida gives back to education through contributions to the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. That’s a true gift that keeps on giving.”

For those who remember the 2024 holiday season lottery rush, this record-setting jackpot surpasses the Dec. 20, 2024, drawing of $862 million. The Powerball at the time had reached $1 billion (see below) by Christmas and Hannukah and was eventually won by Rosemary Casarotti of California.

If the $980 million Mega Millions drawing for Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, rolls over, it would be the 14th time in history a lottery jackpot reached $1 billion. In addition, according to the California Lottery, a single ticket that matches five numbers, missing only the Mega Ball, in the Friday night drawing would be worth more than $4 million. Lottery organizations are reminding players to check their tickets for second-tier and third-tier prizes in the event of a rollover.

Who won the biggest prizes ever? Keep scrolling for more information and a list.

How much is Mega Millions lottery jackpot for Friday, Nov. 14, 2025?

After no one matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Tuesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day Mega Millions drawing, the jackpot jumped from $900 million to $965 million overnight, eventually reaching $980 million for Friday, Nov. 14. If the drawing rolls over, it’ll certainly become another billion-dollar jackpot.

For the last billion-dollar lottery streak, which eventually resulted in a $1.787 billion Powerball prize for a pair of winners from St. Louis, Missouri, and Fredericksburg, Texas, the jackpot was at a whopping $950 million for Wednesday, Aug. 27. A day before the Saturday, Aug. 30, drawing, Florida Lottery announced the game reached the coveted $1 billion jackpot.

That series rolled over for another week before the $1.8 billion Powerball win.

Another rollover would mark the 14th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once did a grand prize reach $2 billion (see below).

For those wondering, the current Powerball lottery jackpot sits at $546 million for Saturday, Nov. 15.

➤ A $1.586 billion Powerball tale: From a small town to ‘Today’ show with Savannah Guthrie to $6.2 million home

Photos of Mega Millions, Powerball billion-dollar lottery winners and which stores sold winning tickets

When was the last Mega Millions jackpot won? How long the jackpot has rolled over

The Mega Millions jackpot was last won on Friday, June 27, 2025, when a ticket in Virginia matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball to win a $348 million prize.

Below is a recap of lottery drawings for the latest streak.

When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more for Mega Millions, Powerball? What are biggest lottery jackpots?

As of Nov. 14, 2025, there have been 13 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.

$2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
$1.8 billion Powerball prize, Sept. 6, 2025, anonymous winner in Missouri and Seven Bridges Revocable Trust of Fredericksburg, Texas
$1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California (ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
$1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
$1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
$1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
$1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
$1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
$1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
$1.269 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, Rosemary Casarotti of California
$1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
$1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
$1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan