The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to $576 million before the Tuesday, July 7 drawing, giving players another shot at a prize with a cash value of $253.9 million. The winning numbers were 2, 31, 35, 36 and 63, with Mega Ball 12.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. covered the drawing as interest rose around a jackpot that had gone more than three months without a winner. That run ended on St. Patrick's Day, when a person from Ohio won $60 million, but the prize had not been hit again by Tuesday.
For readers checking the numbers now, the size of the jackpot is the main reason the drawing mattered. Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and each ticket costs $5. Players choose five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 24, or let Easy Pick or Quick Pick fill in the slip.
The Friday drawing before Tuesday produced no jackpot winner, even though a lucky person from Pennsylvania still took home $3 million. That split result is part of what made the jackpot climb: the top prize stayed in play, while smaller prizes kept landing.
A jackpot is won by matching all six winning numbers, and if more than one ticket does it, the prize is shared. Non-jackpot prizes also now come with a built-in multiplier that can raise them by two, three, four, five or 10 times, replacing the older system that charged an extra dollar for the Megaplier.
The next Mega Millions drawing was scheduled for Friday, July 10, at 11 p.m. ET. If no ticket matched all six numbers on Tuesday, the pool keeps rolling, and the prize will be back in front of players before the week is out.
