The winless lottery streak ends. Someone in New Jersey won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot

Mar 27, 2024, 5:35 AM

A billboard shows the jackpot amount for the Mega Million lottery on March 26, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $1.13 billion for tonight's drawing. (Photo Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

(Photo Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone in New Jersey overcame the odds Tuesday night and won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December.

The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4. The winning ticket was sold in New Jersey, according the the Mega Millions website.

Until the latest drawing, no one had matched all six numbers and won the Mega Millions jackpot since Dec. 8. That amounted to 30 straight drawings without a big winner.

It’s tough to win the Mega Millions jackpot because the odds are so long, at 1 in 302.6 million.

The prize is the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history.

The $1.13 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity, with an initial payment and then 29 annual payments. Most winners choose a cash payout, which would be $537.5 million.

The next big U.S. lottery drawing will be Wednesday night for an estimated $865 million Powerball jackpot. No one has won that prize since New Year’s Day, making for 36 drawings without a winner.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is played in those states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

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