U.S. lottery ticket buyers vied Tuesday night for the fourth-biggest lottery prize in U.S. history as Mega Millions officials drew for an $830 million jackpot.
The winning numbers were 7-29-60-63-66, with the Mega Ball being 15.
The drawing is the biggest in more than a year, as the lack of a winner since April 15 has pushed the top prize into historic proportions.
The $830 million prize, if won Tuesday, would trail only three prizes ever in U.S. lotteries.
The Oct. 23, 2018, Mega Millions game had one winner get $1.537 billion, the most valuable ticket in U.S. history. The biggest prize was the Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball game in which the $1.586 billion jackpot was split among three tickets.
In the only other prize to top the “billion with a b” threshold, a ticket sold in Michigan for the Jan. 22, 2021, Mega Millions drawing was worth $1.05 billion.
If taken in a single massive payment, as most recent big lottery winners have chosen to do, Tuesday’s $830 million Mega Millions prize would be worth $488 million. The larger, advertised amount is what the other option — a 29-year annuity — would be worth over its lifetime.
Federal taxes would quickly take almost 40% of that amount, with state taxes a possibility on top of that.
The $2 Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of a winning Mega Millions ticket are 1 in 302.5 million.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.