UPDATE: Winning numbers are here.
The sixth largest Mega Millions jackpot is set to be drawn Friday night.
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There is an estimated $687 million jackpot, which comes with a $333.4 million cash option. The winning numbers will be drawn at 11 p.m. EST Friday.
A cash option represents a one-time payment in lieu of receiving the $687 million over 30 years.
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The $687 million jackpot represents the accumulation of drawings with no jackpot winners for three months. The last Mega Millions jackpot was won on Dec. 8, 2023, when two winning tickets were sold at the same gas station in Los Angeles, splitting the $394 million prize
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever, worth $1.602 billion, was sold on Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
Lottery jackpots grow so large because the odds of winning are so small. For Mega Millions, the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million.
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Winnings will also be taxed by the federal government. There's a mandatory 24% federal withholding for winnings above $5,000 that goes straight to the IRS. Some states tax lottery winnings as well.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Check back at this NBC station for the winning numbers later tonight.
