Following Friday’s drawing without a jackpot winner, the Mega Millions prize has soared to a new game record, estimated $1.55 billion annuity or $757.2 million through the cash option. It is the largest prize in the game’s history. This historic jackpot surpasses the previous Mega Millions game record of $1.537 billion, which was claimed by a ticket holder in South Carolina in 2018. Currently, the Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the third-largest lottery prize ever seen in the U.S. In Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, Iowa Lottery players enjoyed success, securing a total of 43,651 prizes. Two Iowa tickets came tantalizingly close to a share of the jackpot, each winning $10,000 by matching four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball. With increased interest from first-time and occasional players aiming for the massive jackpot, the Iowa Lottery encourages all ticket holders to check for any prize won, not just the jackpot. For any jackpot prize won in Iowa, 24 percent federal withholding, along with five percent state withholding, applies automatically to cover the winner’s tax liability. The odds of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot is one in 302.6 million. The next drawing is tomorrow (Tuesday) night.
