The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to an estimated $575 million for the Friday, October 10, drawing after no ticket matched all six numbers in the Tuesday, October 7, event. The winning numbers drawn were the white balls 17, 26, 33, 45 and 56, along with the gold Mega Ball 19. The cash option for the upcoming jackpot stands at $264.6 million. A win at this level would rank as the 11th largest jackpot in the game’s history.
The October 7 drawing generated 360,319 winning tickets across all prize levels, resulting in total prizes of nearly $10.9 million. Three tickets matched the five white balls to claim the second-tier prize. One ticket, sold in New Jersey with a 3X multiplier, is valued at $3 million. Two additional second-tier tickets were sold in California, one with a 4X multiplier and one with a 5X multiplier; however, under California’s pari-mutuel prize rules, actual amounts in that state differ from standard fixed values and are calculated based on sales and winners.
Eleven tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for the third-tier prize. These included four at 2X for $20,000 each, sold one each in Idaho, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin; four at 3X for $30,000 each, sold one each in Georgia, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oregon; one at 4X for $40,000 in Oklahoma; and two at 5X for $50,000 each, one in California and one in Kansas.
This jackpot has been building over 29 consecutive drawings since the last win on June 27, when a $348 million prize went to a ticket holder in Virginia. Earlier jackpots in 2025 were claimed in Ohio for $112 million on April 18, in Illinois for $349 million on March 25, and in Arizona for $112 million on January 17. During the current run, more than 7.9 million tickets have won prizes totaling over $188.5 million. This includes 13 second-tier winners: five at 2X from California, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina and Virginia; six at 3X, with two in California and one each in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York; and one each at 4X and 5X, both in California. Additionally, 176 third-tier prizes, ranging from $20,000 to $100,000, have been won across 37 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mega Millions tickets cost $5 per play, which includes an automatically assigned multiplier of 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X that applies to non-jackpot prizes. Players select five numbers from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 24 for the Mega Ball, or opt for a quick pick random selection. Drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time. To claim the jackpot, a ticket must match all five white balls in any order and the Mega Ball. Jackpot winners can choose an annuity option with one initial payment followed by 29 annual graduated payments, or a single cash lump sum equivalent to the prize pool’s cash value.
The game features nine prize tiers. The second tier, for matching five white balls, offers a base of $1 million, multiplied up to $10 million depending on the assigned factor. The third tier, for four white balls plus the Mega Ball, starts at $10,000 and can reach $100,000 with the 10X multiplier. Lower tiers include matching four white balls ($500 base), three white balls plus Mega Ball ($200), three white balls ($10), two white balls plus Mega Ball ($10), one white ball plus Mega Ball ($7 base, adjusted by multiplier to $4 originally but updated), and Mega Ball only ($5 base, adjusted to $2 originally but per current structure $10 at 2X minimum). In California, all non-jackpot prizes are pari-mutuel, distributed based on ticket sales and number of winners in each tier.
Odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 290 million. For the second tier, odds are 1 in 12.6 million; third tier, 1 in 894,000. Overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 23. Multiplier frequencies favor lower values, with 2X at 1 in 2.13 odds, up to 10X at 1 in 32. Multiple plays can be included on a single ticket, each with its own independent multiplier.
Mega Millions originated as The Big Game in 1996, expanding and renaming in 2002 to include more states. It is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The largest jackpot in its history was $1.602 billion, won by a single ticket in Florida on August 8, 2023. Other top prizes include $1.537 billion in South Carolina on October 23, 2018; $1.337 billion in Illinois on July 29, 2022; and $1.22 billion in California on December 27, 2024. A $575 million win would place below these but above historical marks like the $656 million split among three winners in 2012.
Prizes must be claimed within deadlines set by each jurisdiction, typically 180 days to one year from the draw date. Taxes apply at federal and state levels, with federal withholding at 24 percent for prizes over $5,000. Players are encouraged to sign tickets immediately and verify results through official channels. Complete drawing results for October 7 are available on the official site.
The game’s structure promotes larger jackpots through rollovers when no top prize is won, contributing to public education and other state programs via lottery proceeds. In 2024 alone, jackpots exceeded $1 billion multiple times, drawing widespread participation. As the current jackpot approaches $600 million for the first time since December 2024, ticket sales are expected to increase, potentially boosting the final estimate before the October 10 drawing.
