Topline
The Mega Millions jackpot rose to $843 million—2025’s second biggest lottery prize so far—after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night, although the eventual winner will take home a much smaller payout after taxes and deductions.
Key Facts
The six numbers drawn on Tuesday night were 11, 14, 17, 50, 57, and Mega Ball 6.
If a winner emerges in the next draw, they will have a choice between taking the $843 million prize spread over 30 annual installments or a lump sum cash payout of $391.7 million—the preferred option for most winners.
If the winner picks the cash prize, their winnings will first drop to around $298 million after a mandatory federal withholding of 24% is applied.
The winner would likely face a federal marginal rate as high as 37%, depending on their taxable income, further reducing the winnings to around $247 million.
If the installments route is chosen, the winner’s annual payments of around $28.1 million would fall to $17.7 million after the 37% federal marginal rate is applied.
Depending on their home state, the winner could face additional taxes, as some states, such as New York, tax lottery winnings at 10.9%, while others, such as Texas, Florida, and California, don’t.
Big Number
1-in-290.4 million. Those are the astronomical odds a Mega Millions ticket buyer will need to overcome to win the jackpot. This is a slight improvement of the competition’s even poorer previous odds of 1 in 302.5 million. Earlier this year, Mega Millions implemented major changes that also enhanced the odds of winning both the jackpot and smaller prizes.
What To Watch For
The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled to take place on Friday night. The Powerball jackpot, which currently stands at $438 million, will have its next drawing on Wednesday night.
Key Background
In September, two Powerball ticket buyers from Missouri and Texas split the second-largest lottery prize ever after winning a $1.78 billion jackpot. The current Mega Millions jackpot has now eclipsed a $526.5 million prize won by a Powerball ticket buyer from California in March. The biggest Mega Millions prize claimed so far was a $349 million jackpot won by an Illinois resident in March.
