SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF / AP) – A $ 1 billion Mega Millions jackpot is at stake, offering a chance at the third largest lottery prize in the history of the United States.
The winning numbers in the Mega Millions draw on Friday night were: 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24.
The Mega Millions grand prize has been growing since September 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin.
Mega Millions numbers on January 22, 2021
The California Lottery Twitter account posted on Friday morning that the prize reached the $ 1 billion mark.
O #MegaMillions jackpot is now $ 1 billion, yes, we said BILLION. Do you already have your ticket? Tickets must be purchased only during essential shopping trips. #PlayForMillions #Play carefully #CALottery pic.twitter.com/NhNdvrTeLO
– California Lottery (@calottery) January 22, 2021
With the rush of people buying last minute tickets on Friday, Mega Millions’ final prize could increase even more. The draw will be held at 8 pm PST on Friday night.
The prize was so big that it exceeded the digital lottery display signals that can only show a jackpot of up to $ 999 million.
A steady stream of lottery seekers was buying tickets Friday afternoon at a gas station in Hercules. Everyone has a dream. One man said he would help the Richmond Snoop Dogg Youth Football League. Another player named Rosa said she was feeling lucky on her birthday.
When asked how many tickets she bought, Rosa replied: “Only one. You only need one to win, right? “
Lottery spokesman Jorge De La Cruz said via Zoom that he was looking forward to a historic night.
“If the jackpot is hit, it will be the third largest in the history of the United States,” said De La Cruz.
Two weeks ago, a Mega Millions lottery ticket was purchased at a gas station in Brentwood for more than $ 2.3 million, California Lottery officials said.
Although the massive $ 731.1 million Powerball prize was won by a single lucky ticket buyer in Maryland earlier this week, players in the Bay Area still have a chance to win money with the Mega game Millions.
The winning Powerball ticket was old in Allegany County, located in northwest Maryland, but additional details were not immediately available, the Maryland lottery said in a statement. You may never know who gets these riches: in Maryland, winners have the right to remain anonymous.
The Powerball jackpot was the fifth largest US lottery jackpot of all time. The winning numbers for Wednesday night’s Powerball draw were: 40-53-60-68-69 and a Powerball of 22.
This week was the first time that the two lottery prizes reached $ 700 million. The biggest prize for both games was a $ 1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one had won any of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing the prizes to increase continuously for months. Such a long period without a winner is rare, but it also reflects the incredibly small chances of winning – 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
Mega Millions and Powerball are played in 45 states, as well as in Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press and Don Ford of KPIX 5 contributed to this report