Mega Millions Jackpot Grows to $1.25B, Losers Get Free Krispy Kreme Donuts

Posted on: August 2, 2023, 09:30h. 

Last updated on: August 2, 2023, 01:18h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The Mega Millions jackpot once again evaded players last night, as Tuesday marked the 30th consecutive drawing where no ticket matched all six numbers.

Mega Millions jackpot lottery
A Mega Millions player displays their tickets for the drawing on Aug. 1, 2023. The Mega Millions jackpot for the game’s Aug. 4 drawing is an estimated $1.25 billion. (Image: AP)

Tuesday night’s five white balls were 8-24-30-45-61 and the gold Mega Ball was 12. While more than 4.9 million tickets won some sort of prize, no ticket overcame the one in 302.5 million odds to claim the jackpot.

Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot was $1.1 billion, the advertised prize that’s based on the winner opting for the full value through a 30-year annuitized payout. The cash sum was $550.2 million.

With no jackpot winner, the prize rolls over for the 31st time. Mega Millions officials project the jackpot to be around $1.25 billion for the Friday, August 4 drawing. The cash value is an estimated $625.3 million.

There’s always an air of excitement around the country when Mega Millions jackpots soar,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, who is additionally the lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “The growing jackpot is a source of entertainment and winnings for players, while generating important dollars for the good causes supported by each lottery.”

Corbin went on to thank players and retailers for their ongoing participation, but encouraged consumers to play responsibly.

Losers Get Donuts

Tuesday night wasn’t a total bust for Mega Millions players, as seven lucky players won life-changing prizes. The holders of those seven tickets matched all five white balls, but not the gold Mega Ball, to claim the game’s second-tier prize of $1 million. The odds of matching five white balls are more than one in 12.6 million.

One of those tickets purchased the optional $1 Megaplier, an add-on play available in most participating states that potentially doubles, triples, quadruples, or quintuples the prize. With last night’s Megaplier landing on 4x, the winning $1 million ticket sold in Texas quadrupled to $4 million.

While Texas doesn’t tax lottery winnings, the federal government does. The $4 million payout will be reduced to about $2.52 million after the feds take their 37% cut, the highest tax bracket on individuals earning $578,126 or more in a year, or $693,751 for couples filing jointly.

There were also 135 tickets that matched four white balls and the gold Mega Ball for the third-tier prize of $10K. The odds of matching four white balls and the Mega Ball are about one in 931K.

Mega Millions officials said 28 of those tickets purchased the Megaplier for $40K wins.

For everyone else, Krispy Kreme says it will give a free donut to anyone who shows a losing Mega Millions ticket from Tuesday night’s drawing. The offer is good only today, August 2, and each customer is limited to one free donut regardless of how many losing tickets they present.

Top 5 Jackpot

Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot of an estimated $1.25 billion is the fourth-richest prize in Mega Millions history. The interstate lottery game has been played for more than 27 years, but only three times has there been a larger jackpot on the line.

If the jackpot doesn’t hit on Friday, Mega Millions will inch closer to its all-time richest prize of $1.537 billion. That record jackpot was won on Oct. 23, 2018.

The winning ticket was sold in South Carolina, a state that allows players to remain anonymous. The ticket was redeemed anonymously in early March 2019.