


After nobody hit the jackpot Friday, the Mega Millions jackpot is up to $1.1 billion. If a player wins it on Tuesday, it will be the fifth-largest jackpot in the lottery’s history.
This marks the sixth time in less than six years that a Mega Millions jackpot has gone above $1 billion, the lottery said in a release.
The winning white balls Friday were 3, 8, 31, 35 and 44, while the winning gold ball was 16. To win a jackpot, a player has to match all six balls. White balls have numbers 1-70, while gold balls have numbers 1-25.
If the jackpot is won Tuesday, the player will get to choose between a lump sum of $525.8 million or an annuity option wherein they receive a smaller immediate sum followed by 29 annual payments, each 5% larger than the last.
There have been 30 Mega Millions drawings since the last jackpot win, a $394 million prize split between two tickets bought at a Chevron gas station in Encino, California, and drawn on Dec. 8, 2023.
Mega Millions tickets are $2 a piece and are available in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are not available in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and Puerto Rico.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.