When is the next Mega Millions drawing? Jackpot nears $500 million
See which states are the luckiest in the lottery
USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes shares which states have claimed the most Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots wins.
- The Mega Millions jackpot is approaching half a billion dollars after no winner was declared in the latest drawing.
- The next drawing is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27, with an estimated jackpot of $438 million.
The Mega Millions jackpot has almost reached half a billion dollars and could soon become one of the largest in history if it remains unclaimed.
Tuesday night’s drawing had a jackpot of $438 million and a cash option of $203.1 million. The last jackpot was won on December 2 when a single winner from New Jersey won a $90 million jackpot.
According to Mega Millions, only 28 out of the 45 states that participate in the lottery have been lucky enough to win the jackpot. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was won in Florida back in 2023, when one lucky player took home $1.602 billion.
Here’s what to know ahead of the next drawing.
What were the winning Mega Millions numbers for 2/24/2026?
The winning numbers for the Feb. 24 drawing are 12, 39, 43, 49, 55, with the MegaBall being 23.
When is the next Mega Millions drawing?
The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday, Feb. 27, at 11 p.m. ET/10 CT. Mega Millions has two drawings each week on Tuesday and Friday.
How much is the Mega Millions jackpot now?
The jackpot ahead of the Feb. 27 drawing has reached an estimated $438 million, with a lump-sum payment of $212.4 million, according to megamillions.com.
What are the odds of winning a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot?
The chances of winning big are pretty slim.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot — no matter the size — are around 1 in 292.2 million.
How often does the lottery hit $1 billion or more?
Having Powerball or Mega Millions hit the $1 billion mark is no longer as uncommon as it once was.
In the last five years, there have been eight jackpots between Mega Millions and Powerball that have gone over the $1 billion mark. And three of those happened in 2023, and two occurred in 2024.
The highest lottery jackpot was won in November 2022, amounting to $2.04 billion. It was the second jackpot over $1 billion that year. Before that, the only other times a jackpot hit over a billion were in 2021, 2018 and 2016.
Top 10 highest Mega Millions jackpots
The latest jackpot has not broken into the ten highest ever jackpots in the history of Mega Millions, but in a few weeks, it could become the tenth-highest in game history.
- $1.602 billion — Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
- $1.537 billion — Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
- $1.35 billion — Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
- $1.337 billion — July 29, 2022; Illinois
- $1.269 billion — Dec. 27, 2024; California
- $1.128 billion — March 26, 2024; New Jersey
- $1.05 billion — Jan. 22, 2021; Michigan
- $983 million — Nov. 14, 2025; Georgia
- $810 million — Sept. 10, 2024; Texas
- $656 million — March 30, 2012; Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
Top 10 U.S. lottery drawing Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot results
Here are the nation’s all-time top 10 Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, according to powerball.com:
- $2.04 billion, Powerball — Nov. 7, 2022; California
- $1.765 billion, Powerball — Oct. 11, 2023; California
- $1.602 billion, Mega Millions — Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
- $1.817 billion, Powerball — Dec. 24, 2025; Arkansas
- $1.586 billion, Powerball — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions — Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
- $1.35 billion, Mega Millions — Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions — July 29, 2022; Illinois
- $1.326 billion, Powerball — April 6, 2024; Oregon
- $1.3 billion (est.), Powerball — Sept. 3, 2025
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This content is sourced from www.commercialappeal.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
