First Mega Millions jackpot of 2023 stands at $785 million for Tuesday’s drawing

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Texas Lottery players are hoping to win one of the largest jackpot prizes in the history of the Mega Millions drawing.

After nobody won last Friday, the estimated value of the Tuesday, January 3 drawing is now $785 million.

“Following a year of big jackpots, 2023 is getting started with one of the largest jackpots in lottery history,” said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery. “As great excitement builds for Tuesday night’s drawing, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the first Mega Millions jackpot winner of the new year is a Texas Lottery player. Most importantly, we also want to remind our players to play responsibly. It only takes one ticket to win.”

Tuesday’s drawing has a cash value of $395 million dollars. If there is no winner Tuesday, the next Mega Millions drawing will happen Friday, January 6 with an estimated annuitized jackpot of $940 million.

Tuesday’s drawing will be the 23^rd in the current Mega Millions jackpot run since starting as an estimated annuitized $20 million for the Oct. 18, 2022 drawing.

Texas has had 13 Mega Millions jackpot prize winners since it joined the game in 2003. Its most recent jackpot winner came in September 2019 when a Leander resident won an estimated annuitized $227 million, the largest prize ever paid out to a single Texas Lottery player.

Mega Millions is played by choosing five numbers from a field of 70 and one Mega Ball number from the second field of 25 numbers. To win the Mega Millions jackpot, players must match all six numbers drawn including the Mega Ball.

Players matching fewer numbers may not win the jackpot, but could still walk away winners. Mega Millions currently offers a $20 million starting jackpot and a second-tier (Match 5+0) prize of $1 million. By choosing the Megaplier^® feature for $1 more per Play, players can multiply their non-jackpot winnings by two, three, four or five times, winning as much as $5 million.

Drawings are broadcast each Tuesday and Friday at 10:12 p.m. CT. Texas Lottery players can purchase Mega Millions tickets at more than 20,000 Texas Lottery retailers across the state.

Ticket sales for the next Mega Millions drawing will close at 9:45 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The retailer that sells a jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket may be eligible to receive up to a $1 million retailer bonus.