The Mega Millions lottery is one of the biggest multi-state lottery games in the United States. The jackpot starts at $40 million and continues to grow until a lucky ticket matches all six numbers drawn. With millions of people across the country buying Mega Millions tickets for a chance to win big, the question arises: where was the last winning Mega Millions ticket sold?
The Latest Mega Millions Winning Ticket
The most recent Mega Millions jackpot was won on Friday, January 5, 2023. The single ticket matching all six numbers was sold in Maine. The winning numbers were 3, 20, 46, 59, 63 and the Mega Ball was 13. The lucky ticket holder chose the cash option and will receive a prize of $739.6 million before taxes.
This jackpot rolled over for three months without a winner. It started at $20 million on October 7, 2022 and slowly climbed to over $1.3 billion by January 3rd. At that prize level, it became the second largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history behind a $1.537 billion Powerball jackpot won in 2018.
Once the jackpot reached the ten-digit levels, people across the country rushed to buy tickets hoping to get lucky. At one point, lottery officials were selling over 100,000 tickets per minute. This created long lines at convenience stores and other lottery retailers leading up to the January 6th drawing.
Where in Maine Was the Winning Ticket Sold?
The Maine State Lottery has not yet disclosed exactly where the winning ticket was purchased. As of January 8th, the winner has also not yet come forward. Lottery winners have 255 days to turn in their ticket in Maine.
Once the winner does redeem their prize, the lottery will reveal the name and location of the retailer that sold the winning ticket. Previous winners in Maine have come from towns all over the state including Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Camden, Newport, Winthrop, and Portland.
Recent Large Mega Millions Jackpot Winners
Prior to this January 2023 jackpot, there were two other Mega Millions jackpots won over $1 billion:
- October 2018 – $1.537 billion won on a ticket sold in South Carolina
- July 2022 – $1.337 billion won on a ticket sold in Illinois
Here is an overview of the top five largest Mega Millions jackpots to date:
| Jackpot Amount | Date Won | Winning Ticket Sold In |
|---|---|---|
| $1.537 billion | October 23, 2018 | South Carolina |
| $739.6 million | January 5, 2023 | Maine |
| $1.337 billion | July 29, 2022 | Illinois |
| $656 million | March 30, 2012 | Illinois, Kansas, Maryland |
| $648 million | December 17, 2013 | California, Georgia |
As the table shows, the two largest jackpots were both won within the last few years. Three of the top five were sold in Illinois. California, Georgia, South Carolina, Kansas, Maryland, and Maine each had a ticket win one of the biggest prizes.
Timeline of Billion Dollar Mega Millions Jackpots
Since the Mega Millions game began in 2002, there have been six jackpots hit that were over $1 billion. Here is a timeline of these record-setting jackpots:
| Date | Jackpot Amount | Winning Ticket Sold In |
|---|---|---|
| March 30, 2012 | $656 million | Illinois, Kansas, Maryland |
| December 17, 2013 | $648 million | California, Georgia |
| October 23, 2018 | $1.537 billion | South Carolina |
| January 22, 2021 | $1.05 billion | Michigan |
| July 29, 2022 | $1.337 billion | Illinois |
| January 5, 2023 | $739.6 million | Maine |
The three most recent billion-dollar jackpots have all occurred since 2018. Prior to that, the game went over five years without the jackpot reaching ten-digit territory. Lottery officials credit rule changes in October 2017 with boosting the game’s popularity and jackpots.
States That Have Had Multiple Big Winners
Some states have had more lucky Mega Millions ticket buyers than others. These states have had winning tickets for two or more of the biggest Mega Millions jackpots:
- California – $648 million on 12/17/2013; $316 million on 11/4/2005
- Georgia – $648 million on 12/17/2013; $451 million on 1/5/2021
- Illinois – $1.337 billion on 7/29/2022; $656 million on 3/30/2012
- Kansas – $656 million on 3/30/2012; $233 million on 4/13/2012
- Maryland – $656 million on 3/30/2012; $214 million on 9/19/2014
As highlighted, Illinois and Kansas can both claim a share of two of the biggest Mega Millions prizes in the game’s history. California, Georgia, and Maryland have also sold multiple tickets winning jackpots over $200 million.
Some smaller population states like Maine and South Dakota have yet to sell a ticket winning the very largest Mega Millions prizes. Their luck may still change in the future.
Number of Jackpots Won By State
Looking at the data another way, here are the U.S. states with the most Mega Millions jackpot winning tickets sold to date:
| State | Number of Jackpots Won |
|---|---|
| New York | 14 |
| California | 13 |
| New Jersey | 12 |
| Virginia | 11 |
| Michigan | 10 |
| Ohio | 9 |
| Texas | 9 |
| Georgia | 8 |
| North Carolina | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 |
The states with the biggest populations like California, Texas, and New York have had the most winners. But some smaller population states like North Carolina and Virginia have still had many lucky Mega Millions ticket buyers over the years.
Which State Sells the Most Winning Tickets?
Another way to look at Mega Millions data is to see which states have sold the most winning jackpot tickets relative to the number of tickets sold in that state.
This accounts for population – smaller states sell fewer total Mega Millions tickets. But if they have sold a disproportionate number of winning tickets, it suggests players in that state are luckier.
Looking at the data this way, the luckiest Mega Millions states are:
- South Dakota
- Maine
- North Dakota
- Vermont
- Kansas
These states have had relatively few jackpot winners. But adjusting for population and total number of tickets sold, they have sold winning tickets more often than would be expected randomly.
So while the most populous states sell the most winning tickets in absolute terms, smaller states like South Dakota and North Dakota have proven luckiest for Mega Millions.
Winning Numbers Analysis
Looking at the statistics of winning Mega Millions numbers can also provide some interesting insights:
- 23 and 39 are the most commonly drawn Mega Millions numbers
- 46 and 48 are the least commonly drawn numbers
- Even and odd numbers are drawn roughly equally as often
- The most frequent number for the Mega Ball is 9
- The most common consecutive pair of numbers is 32-33
Of course these statistics don’t actually influence the random drawing process. But some lottery players use data like this to pick numbers with better historical performance.
Biggest Mega Millions Jackpots That Expired
When the Mega Millions jackpot gets very large, it’s always possible it could expire without a winner. This has only happened a few times in the history of the game:
| Jackpot | Draw Date | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| $370 million | 1/5/2018 | No ticket matched all six numbers |
| $410 million | 6/9/2020 | No ticket matched all six numbers |
| $119 million | 10/8/2013 | Last drawing at old prize level before rule change |
When a jackpot is not won, the money rolls down into the lower prize tiers. So while no players won the headline jackpot, millions of dollars in smaller prizes were still awarded.
The expiration of a giant jackpot due to no winner is very rare. The odds of matching all six numbers are only about 1 in 302 million. But when the prize gets into the hundreds of millions, enough tickets are sold to usually produce a winner.
What Happens When a Jackpot Expires
When a Mega Millions jackpot expires, the money allocated for the jackpot rolls down to boost the lower tier prizes for that draw. Here is the breakdown of how the funds are distributed:
- 25% funds the Match 5 tier (5 numbers but not the Mega Ball)
- 50% funds the Match 4 tier (4 numbers but not the Mega Ball)
- 13% funds the Match 3 tier (3 numbers)
- 12% goes towards the starting jackpot for the next draw
So while players miss out on the headline jackpot, many win bigger prizes than usual on the lower tiers when this occurs.
The cycle then starts over with a jackpot of $20 million for the next drawing.
Most Common Places Mega Millions Tickets Are Sold
Mega Millions tickets are sold in nearly every convenience store, gas station, and grocery store across participating states. But some types of locations tend to sell more tickets than others. According to lottery sales data, the most common Mega Millions ticket retailers are:
- Convenience stores
- Newsstands
- Liquor stores
- Supermarkets
- Gas stations
- Pharmacies
These types of locations tend to do consistent daily business throughout the week, making them natural lottery ticket vendors. When jackpots get large, they often sell hundreds of tickets per day at the register.
Mega Millions Sales By Retailer Type
Looking at overall Mega Millions ticket sales across the U.S., here is the breakdown by retailer type:
| Store Type | Percent of Tickets Sold |
|---|---|
| Convenience stores | 48% |
| Supermarkets | 18% |
| Newsstands | 12% |
| Gas stations | 8% |
| Liquor stores | 5% |
| Other retailers | 9% |
Nearly half of all Mega Millions tickets are purchased at convenience stores. Supermarkets account for another 18%, while newsstands and gas stations each sell around 10% of total tickets.
These percentages vary somewhat from state to state. But convenience stores consistently sell the largest portion of tickets across all participating Mega Millions jurisdictions.
Conclusion
In summary, winning Mega Millions tickets worth hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars have been sold across the country over the years. Small population states sometimes boast surprising luck, while high population states California, Texas, and New York lead in total jackpots won.
Convenience stores sell the most tickets, especially when jackpots surge. And while the odds of hitting the jackpot are incredibly slim at 1 in 302 million, dozens of players have beaten those odds over the years to take home life-changing prizes.
The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday, January 10 with an estimated $20 million jackpot up for grabs. As the Maine winner from January 5th showed, anyone can get lucky and win – even when the odds seem overwhelmingly against it. So players across the country continue to dream of joining the Mega Millions jackpot winners list someday soon.
