The Mega Millions jackpot is set to reach $331 million for the Friday, May 29 drawing, with a $145.2 million cash value. With no jackpot winner for more than two months, players face a choice between a one-time lump sum or an immediate annuity with annual chec
The Mega Millions jackpot has been climbing toward Friday’s drawing so steadily that it’s started to feel like the game itself is stretching time—now at $331 million with a cash value of $145.2 million.
If someone hits the numbers in the Friday, May 29 drawing, there will be two ways to claim the prize: a one-time, lump-sum cash payment, or an immediate payment followed by annual checks, each one 5% larger than the previous year.
No jackpot winner has been recorded for more than two months. The last time the jackpot was won came on St. Patrick’s Day, when an Ohio player took home $60 million.
The next Mega Millions drawing after Friday is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, at 11 p.m. ET.
While the winning numbers for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing will be posted after the draw at 11 p.m. ET, the stakes are clear in the growing jackpot total—and in how the game’s biggest prize keeps rolling without a winner.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each ticket costs $5. Players choose six numbers: five different white balls from 1 to 70, and one gold Mega Ball from 1 to 24. To win the jackpot. a ticket must match all six winning numbers in a drawing. and if there are multiple jackpot winners the prize is shared.
Buying a ticket is straightforward: players can purchase tickets at local convenience stores. gas stations. or grocery stores. and in some states tickets can be bought online. Those who don’t want to pick numbers can choose Quick Pick or Easy Pick. which lets the computer randomly generate the selections.
The structure of the prize and the mechanics of the ticket have also changed over time. Mega Millions tickets now include a built-in multiplier that increases non-jackpot prizes by two, three, four, five, or 10 times. Previously, players had to pay an extra $1 to add the “Megaplier.”
The surge in recent jackpot totals sits in a broader run of large prizes. The top 10 Mega Millions jackpots listed include: $1.602 billion on Aug. 8, 2023 in Florida; $1.537 billion on Oct. 23, 2018 in South Carolina; $1.348 billion on Jan. 1, 2023 in Maine; $1.337 billion on July 29, 2022 in Illinois; $1.269 billion on Dec. 27, 2024 in California; $1.128 billion on Mar. 26, 2024 in New Jersey; $1.05 billion on Jan. 22, 2021 in Michigan; $983 million on Nov. 14, 2025 in Georgia; $810 million on Sept. 10, 2024 in Texas; and $656 million on March 30, 2012 in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.
With Friday’s drawing only hours away, the question isn’t whether the jackpot is big—it already is. It’s whether anyone will finally match all six numbers and break a streak that has lasted more than two months.
Mega Millions jackpot May 29 2026 $331 million cash value $145.2 million Powerball and Mega Millions lottery winnings Quick Pick Megaplier multiplier
331 million?! might as well just quit my job now lol
Wait so the cash value is only $145 mil? That’s like half. So are they lying or what because 331 is the headline number
My cousin said they changed the numbers to 1-75 or something, so I’m confused. Also 5% bigger annual checks sounds like a scam, I’d take whatever cash they can.
No jackpot winner for two months… that’s exactly how they get people buying more, like it’s rigged. Also it says two ways to claim and annual checks, but like who even trusts that? I’ll just do the lump sum if I ever win somehow.