Attorney Andrew Stoltmann has represented 12 lottery winners, many of whom lost all their winnings through bad investments, reckless spending and greedy relatives. “Unfortunately, the people who win the lottery think at that point, the journey is over. And what they don’t realize is that the journey has really just begun,” says the Chicago-based Stoltmann.
A lucky lottery player could see a Mega Millions Christmas miracle.
With the next Mega Millions drawing set to take place on Christmas Eve, the jackpot has swelled to $1 billion, according to lottery officials, with a cash value of $448.8 million.
It's the seventh largest jackpot in game history, lottery officials said. If Tuesday's game sees a winner, it will be the largest jackpot won in December, lottery officials added.
The next Mega Millions drawing takes place at 10 p.m. CT December 24.
The billion dollar jackpot comes after no winner matched all the numbers in Friday's drawing to take home the big prize. But lottery players in Illinois and Indiana still came away with big prizes in Friday's game, taking home $1 million each.
Mega Millions tickets run players $2, with prices set to increase in the new year. By adding the Megaplier option for an extra dollar per play, players can increase their non-jackpot winnings up to five times. lottery officials said. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays.
According to lottery officials, the largest Mega Millions jackpots won in game history are below:
- $1.602 billion: Aug. 8, 2023, 1 winning ticket in Florida.
- $1.537 billion: Oct. 23, 2018, 1 winning ticket in South Carolina.
- $1.348 billion: Jan. 13, 2023, 1 winning ticket in Maine.
- $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022. 1 winning ticket in Illinois
- $1.128 billion: 3/26/2024, 1 winning ticket in New Jersey
- $1.050 billion: 1/22/2021, 1 winning ticket in Michigan
- $810 million: Sept. 10, 2024, 1 winning ticket in Texas
- $656 million: March 30, 2012, 3 winning tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland
- $648 million: Dec. 17, 2013, 2 winning tickets in California and Georgia
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
