from: Matthew Knight, Addy Bink

Posted: December 4, 2024 / 7:17am CST

Updated: December 4, 2024 / 7:17am CST

(NEXSTAR) – No one won Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. The jackpot has grown to an estimated $579 million ahead of the next drawing on Friday. Three Match 5 winners were selected, two in Ohio and one in Wisconsin.

Lottery players have been watching the growth of the Mega Millions jackpot since September, when a ticket sold in Texas netted an $800 million jackpot, the seventh-largest payout in the game’s history.

At $541 million, the current jackpot is the 10th largest, surpassing the $552 million jackpot won in Illinois in June.

1. $1.602 billion: August 8, 2023; Florida
2. $1.537 billion: October 23, 2018; South Carolina
3. $1.348 billion: January 13, 2023; Maine
4. $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022; Illinois
5. $1.128 billion: March 26, 2024; New Jersey
6. $1.050 billion: January 22, 2021; Michigan
7. $800 million: September 10, 2024; Texas
8. $656 million: March 30, 2012; Illinois, Kansas and Maryland
9. $648 million: December 17, 2013; California and Georgia
10. $579 million: Next drawing on Friday, December 6th

If you win, your payout could be significantly lower than the advertised amount.

Large lottery winnings, like this Mega Millions jackpot, are subject to taxes that vary depending on where you live. Regardless of whether you choose the annual or cash prize (an estimated $276.6 million for Friday’s drawing), your local lottery must withhold 24% in federal taxes. With additional withholding taxes, approximately 37% of your prize money goes to taxes.

If you do hit the jackpot, experts recommend keeping it a secret for as long as possible and quickly assembling a team of experts, including a lawyer, an accountant and a financial advisor. In addition to keeping the ticket safe, experts also recommend signing the back.

Mega Millions tickets cost $2 each and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to Tuesdays, drawings also take place on Fridays at 11:00 p.m. ET. Players have a 1 in 24 chance of winning a Mega Millions prize.