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NEW YORK (WABC) — The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to an estimated $1.1 billion after no one won big in Friday night’s drawing.
Don’t throw your ticket out just yet though. There were some people in NY and NJ who won $1 million from the drawing.
Here are Friday night’s winning numbers: 20, 63, 46, 59, 3, and a Megaball of 13.
The whopping $1.1 billion jackpot is the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. That prize will be up for grabs in Tuesday night’s drawing.
No one has hit the big jackpot after more than 20 drawings.
The jackpot is the largest since a $2.04 billion Powerball prize was won on Nov. 8 in California. A winner hasn’t been announced for that record-setting payout.
RELATED: Here’s what you could buy if you win
The credit for the recent big prizes is actually due to math — and more difficult odds.
In the fall of 2017, lottery officials approved changes to Mega Millions that significantly lengthened the odds from one in 258.9 million to one in 302.6 million. They made similar changes to Powerball in October 2015, worsening the odds from one in 175.2 million to one in 292.2 million.
The idea was that by making jackpots less common, ticket revenue could build up week after week, creating giant prizes that would attract attention and pull in more players who had grown blasé about $100 million or $200 million top prizes.
In August 2021, Powerball also added a third weekly drawing, which enabled the jackpot to roll over and grow even more quickly as people had more chances to play, and lose. Mega Millions has stuck with the two weekly drawings.
Thanks to those moves, nine of the top 10 largest lottery prizes have been won since 2017.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Powerball drawings are also streamed here on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.
Mega Millions drawings are streamed on Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m.
The New York Lottery is North America’s largest and most profitable, contributing billions of dollars to help support education in New York State.
Revenue is distributed to local school districts by the same statutory formula used to distribute other state aid to education. According to the New York lottery, the formula takes into account both a school district’s size and its income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive proportionately larger shares of Lottery school funding.
For more information about the New York lottery and to see lottery results, please visit nylottery.ny.gov..
New Yorkers struggling with a gambling addiction, or who know someone who is, 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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