The big lottery news this week was the Mega Millions jackpot crossing the landmark $1 billion point on Tuesday. But no one hit that huge prize, which means the drawing for the even bigger $1.35 billion jackpot happens today, Friday the 13th of January.
To some, Friday the 13th might sound like a terribly unlucky day to play the lottery, but history tells us that the opposite has been true for Mega Millions players.
Six Mega Millions jackpots have been hit on Friday the 13th over the years, and four of them were hit by Michigan residents!
Friday the 13th lucky for Mega Millions players
According to the Michigan Lottery, those players with scary luck were:
- Kent City man who hit a $57 million jackpot on June 13, 2008
- Kalamazoo man who hit a $27 million on May 13, 2011
- Port Huron woman who hit $66 million on June 13, 2014
- Waterford man who split a $42 million jackpot with another winner in Rhode Island on Oct. 13, 2017
The other players who hit the jackpot on the supposedly unlucky day bought their tickets in New York (March 2009) and Ohio (November 2015).
Jan. 13 Mega Millions drawing results
The drawing for the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot will take place at 11 p.m. Friday night.
What are the odds to win the Mega Millions?
As for who might win the current jackpot, the truth is, it’s anybody’s game.
According to the Michigan Lottery, players in Michigan bought nearly 4.4 million tickets at Lottery retailers for Tuesday’s drawing. More than 2.6 million of those were purchased on Tuesday before the 10:45 p.m. cutoff time.
It’s safe to say we’re in the midst of Mega Millions Mania in Michigan, and there’s a fair chance a winner from the state could emerge. But with millions of tickets being sold across the country, it’s impossible to predict where a winner might surface.
In any case, and in any state, a winner will have to defy the odds of 1 in 302.5 million to secure the jackpot prize.
Mega Millions jackpot is the second largest prize ever offered
Only one Mega Millions jackpot has been higher than the estimated annuity value of tonight’s $1.35 billion prize. The record was set at $1.537 billion, which a player in South Carolina snagged on Oct. 23, 2018.
One of the five U.S. lottery jackpots that have reached $1 billion was hit right here in Michigan in 2021. An Oakland County lottery club hit the $1.05 billion jackpot in January that year. That jackpot was the largest ever hit in the state.
How to play Mega Millions in Michigan
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 at your local Lottery retailer or online at Michigan’s iLottery. Players can choose their own numbers or use the convenient “quick pick” feature to have numbers chosen at random. The Megaplier ticket option can be added for $1, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 5x.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
