A single ticket sold in Georgia has won the estimated $980 million Mega Millions jackpot, marking the eighth largest jackpot in the game’s history. This announcement follows a series of draws that had not yielded a winner since late June, culminating in this significant win on November 14. The winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn: white balls 1, 8, 11, 12, and 57, along with the gold Mega Ball 7.
This win represents a notable increase in lottery prize values, with the total non-jackpot prizes for this drawing amounting to nearly $343.4 million. This includes 21 second-tier prizes of $2 million or more distributed across various states, including California, Florida, and New York.
The Mega Millions lottery underwent a format change in April, which raised ticket prices from $2 to $5. This adjustment has contributed to faster jackpot growth, allowing the starting jackpot to increase from $20 million to $50 million. Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, noted that the recent jackpot is the largest since the game’s format change.
The previous Mega Millions jackpot was won in December 2024, when a California player claimed a prize of $1.269 billion. Despite this recent victory, the record for the largest Mega Millions jackpot remains at $1.602 billion, won in Florida in August 2023. The current win in Georgia is by far the largest prize awarded in November since the inception of the game.