Ahead of the Friday, May 22 Mega Millions drawing, the jackpot is at $296 million with a $128.6 million cash value. The last jackpot winner came more than two months ago on St. Patrick’s Day in Ohio.
A Mega Millions jackpot worth $296 million is sitting at the top of the board as Friday, May 22 approaches—hours away from a draw that could finally end a long drought.
The prize currently stands at $296 million, with a cash value of $128.6 million. More than two months have passed since the last time anyone hit the Mega Millions jackpot—on St. Patrick’s Day, when an Ohio player won $60 million.
If someone wins Friday’s jackpot, they won’t have to choose in the dark. They’ll have two options: a one-time, lump-sum cash payment, or an immediate payment followed by annual checks. Each annual check would be 5% larger than the previous year.
The next Mega Millions drawing after May 22 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26 at 11 p.m. ET.
For players tracking the numbers, the winning Mega Millions numbers for the May 22 drawing are posted after the drawing at 11 p.m. ET.
The jackpot competition has been heating up across years of big wins. Top 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; and $1.269 billion on Dec. 27, 2024 in California. Also listed are $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.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each ticket costs $5. Players pick six numbers: five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 24 (the gold Mega Ball). A jackpot win requires matching all six winning numbers. If there are multiple jackpot winners, the jackpot prize is shared.
Buying a ticket can be as simple as stopping by a convenience store, gas station, or grocery store. In some states, Mega Millions tickets can also be bought online.
If you’re not in the mood to choose numbers yourself, there are built-in alternatives. Players can use “Quick Pick” or “Easy Pick,” which let the computer randomly generate numbers.
There’s another layer for players comparing tickets: Mega Millions tickets now include a built-in multiplier that increases non-jackpot prizes by two, three, four, five, or 10 times. Before, players had to pay an extra dollar to add the “Megaplier.”
The odds may be long, but the timing has tightened. With the May 22 drawing set for 11 p.m. ET and the jackpot still rising at $296 million, this is the kind of stretch—after a win in Ohio on St. Patrick’s Day—where every purchase feels like it could be the start of a new story.
Mega Millions $296 million jackpot May 22 drawing cash value $128.6 million Ohio St. Patrick's Day winner Mega Millions numbers
296M is wild. I’ll probably buy a ticket and still not win lol
Wait so the cash value is 128.6M but the jackpot is 296M? That seems like they’re just doing math for fun. I always thought it was the same number
Ohio got 60 million on St. Patrick’s Day right? So like… it’s already “owed” to the rest of us now. Also the annual checks growing by 5% sounds fake like it’ll be taxed to death anyway
Mega Millions numbers posted at 11pm ET? So if I forget, I’ll just check tomorrow morning and pretend I was busy. I never trust “jackpot drought” stuff either, feels like it’s rigged but idk