DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
The winning numbers drawn Friday are: 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in Novi, on the northwest edge of the Detroit area, according to the Michigan Lottery website.
The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since Sept. 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20 million.
The biggest winners Friday in California were holders of 26 tickets with 4 numbers plus the mega, which were worth $11,036 each.
Friday night’s drawing comes two days after a ticket sold in Maryland matched all six numbers drawn and won a $731.1 million Powerball jackpot.
Only two lottery prizes in the U.S. have been larger than Friday’s jackpot. Three tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016, and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018.
The jackpot figures refer to amounts if a winner opts for an annuity, paid in 30 annual installments. Most winners choose a cash prize, which for this Mega Millions jackpot is $739.6 million.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are incredibly steep, at one in 302.5 million.
The game is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
