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![NextImg:Ticker: Mega Millions jackpot grows to $820 million with a possible cash payout of $422 million](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/070423-NWS-BHR-L-lotterynl002.jpg?w=1024&h=924)
Mega Millions has upped the ante by another $100 million.
The lack of a jackpot winner in the lottery game’s latest drawing on Friday night sent the top prize soaring to an estimated $820 million.
The numbers drawn late Friday were: 29, 40, 47, 50, 57 and gold Mega Ball 25. No tickets were sold hitting all those numbers for the estimated grand prize of $720 million.
The estimated $820 million in the next drawing on Tuesday night would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Tuesdays drawing is an estimated $422 million.
The potential jackpot is the fifth largest in the history of the game.
Half of U.S. states were experiencing record-low unemployment — or very close to it — in June, underscoring the strength of the nation’s labor market.
The unemployment rates in 25 states are currently at or within 0.1 percentage point of a record low, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Friday. New Hampshire and South Dakota had the lowest jobless rates last month, at 1.8%.
Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts and Maryland also posted fresh record-low readings.
The strength of the jobs market has both confounded economists and bolstered hope the U.S. economy may ultimately be able to skirt a recession despite a rapid increase in interest rates. And while there are cracks beginning to form — as evident in certain states like California — the broader picture remains one of resilience.