New York (WABC) – The numbers for the nearly $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot have been drawn, and now all hopeful players can wait for word on the possible winner.
Numbers drawn on Thursday evening: 30, 43, 45, 46, 61 and the golden Mega Ball 14.
The jackpot is the second largest in Mega Millions history!
The odds of winning the Mega Millions drawing are approximately one in 303 million.
Don’t be discouraged by these odds. Friday the 13th is the day many gamble and win. Six people have won the Friday the 13th lottery so far.
Michigan has been particularly lucky with Friday the 13th Mega Millions jackpots, winning four of them (June 2008, May 2011, June 2014 and October 2017). That 2017 jackpot was shared with a winner in Rhode Island. Other Friday the 13th jackpots have been won in New York (March 2009) and Ohio (November 2015). However, none of them came close to the $1.35 billion that was up for grabs.
While no one made it out of Tuesday night’s billionaire drawing, three people won $3 million, including one in New York and one in Connecticut.
People in New York and New Jersey also had $1 million worth of tickets.
The last time someone won the top prize was on October 14th. Since then, there have been 25 straight draws without anyone claiming the jackpot.
“So you are 1,363 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery,” said Professor Bruce Torff.
You are 27,000 times more likely to die in a plane crash or 1,210 times more likely to be hit by a meteorite than to win the lottery, Torff said.
Here’s a look at the 10 biggest jackpots won in the US and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, November 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016 (three tickets, California, Florida, Tennessee)
3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
4. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
5. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, January 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
6. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
7. $758.7 million, Powerball, August 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
8. $731.1 million, Powerball, January 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
9. $699.8 million, Powerball, October 4, 2021 (one ticket, from California)
10. $687.8 million, Powerball, October 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
RELATED: What You Can Get If You Win
Credit for recent big prizes is actually about math — and harder odds.
In the fall of 2017, lottery officials approved changes to Mega Millions that increased the odds from 1 in 258.9 million to 1 in 302.6 million. They made similar changes to the Powerball in October 2015, worsening the odds from 1 in 175.2 million to 1 in 292.2 million.
The idea was that by making jackpots less common, ticket revenues could increase from week to week, creating huge prizes that would attract attention and attract even more players who won top prizes of around $100 million or $200 million.
In August 2021, Powerball added a third weekly drawing, which kept the jackpot rolling and growing even faster because people had more chances to play and lose. Mega Millions is stuck with two weeks of drawings.
Nine of the top 10 biggest lottery wins since 2017 have been won thanks to these moves.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WATCH: New York State Lottery draws live daily at 2:30pm and 10:30pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15pm.
Powerball drawings are also posted here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m.
Mega Millions drawings air Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m
The New York Lottery is the largest and most profitable lottery in North America, contributing billions of dollars to support education in New York State.
The revenue is distributed to local school districts in the same statutory manner used to distribute other state aid to education. According to the New York lottery, the formula takes into account both school district size and income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive a proportionally larger share of Lottery school funding.
For more information about the New York lottery and to see lottery results, visit nylottery.ny.gov.
New Yorkers who struggle with gambling addiction or know someone who does can find help by calling the state’s toll-free, confidential HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY. 467369). Standard text rates may apply.
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