Mega Millions drawing tonight: Winning numbers announced for lottery jackpot that hit $1.58bn

The winning numbers for Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing have been announced.

The prize is estimated to be $1.58bn – a record high for the lottery and that count among the largest-ever US drawings.

The winning numbers announced today are: 13 – 19 – 20 – 32- 33 – and mega ball 14.

The drawing tops Mega Millions’ previous high of $1.537bn, according to the lottery. A single ticket sold in South Carolina had won that prize.

On Tuesday night, eager lottery participants will once again vie for an enormous Mega Millions prize, positioning it as the third-largest jackpot in the annals of US lottery history.

With an estimated value of $1.55bn, this substantial reward has been steadily amassing over the course of several months due to an unbroken sequence of 31 draws devoid of a jackpot claimant.

The most recent instance of someone securing the game’s highest accolade dates back to 18 April, reports said.

Each draw that concludes without a victor propels the prize ever nearer to the remarkable $2.04bn benchmark set by a Powerball jackpot winner in California last year.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday at 11pm ET.

Five white balls are drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 70; one gold Mega Ball is drawn from a set of balls numbered 1 through 25, according to the Mega Millions website. “You win if the numbers on one row of your ticket match the numbers of the balls drawn on that date.”

There are nine ways to win a prize, from $2 to the jackpot. If no one wins the jackpot, the money is added to the jackpot for the next drawing. Overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 24.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s drawing, the Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.58bn, with a cash option of $783.3m.

According to Mega Millions, annuity recipients can expect an initial payout, followed by 29 years of annual payments, which increase five per cent every year. Alternatively, those who choose the lump sum receive a one-time amount.

But, for those lucky players who win the lottery, which option is better?

According to Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based lawyer who has represented several lottery winners and who spoke to CNBC, 95 per cent of winners choose the lump-sum option. However, he described the choice as a “big mistake,” as he claimed that “the curse of the lottery is real” and that individuals who receive the money all at once are more likely to fall victim to the three “big drains”: bad investments, relatives who ask for money and overspending.

“It’s exciting to watch Mega Millions grow,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, in a statement.

She added, “As the jackpot climbs ever higher, we thank our players and retailers for their support, which benefits the many good causes funded by our participating lotteries.”

The cash payout option is estimated at $783.3m, the lottery said, adding that “at this level, jackpots are hard to predict with complete accuracy.”

Mega Millions holds the distinction of being the sole lottery game to have awarded four jackpots exceeding $1 billion.

The all-time record for the largest lottery jackpot was a $2.04bn Powerball prize won last year in California.

The last four Mega Millions jackpots of $1bn each were claimed in 2018, 2021, 2022 and January 2023.

Mega Millions is available in 45 states, as well as in Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands. A single-play ticket costs $2.

To secure the jackpot, players are required to match all five numbers along with the Mega Ball number.

The likelihood of winning the jackpot stands at 1 in 302,575,350.

Whether it’s $1bn or $1.58bn, winning the lottery can mean a life-changing amount of money. However, a previous lottery winner has revealed that there are some things that do not change when you win millions of dollars.

The next drawing for the Mega Millions lottery will take place on Tuesday 8 August at 11pm ET.

Players can tune in to watch the results on TV or online. The results are typically broadcast live on multiple TV channels, including ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Drawings are also streamed live on Mega Millions’ YouTube channel, which can be found here.