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8 August 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – With the Mega Millions drawing coming up, some lucky winners could acquire potentially life-changing amounts of cash.
The current Mega Millions jackpot sits just above $1.58 billion with a cash option of a little over $783 million, according to the Kansas Lottery. This surpasses the previous record Mega Millions jackpot in 2018 which reached $1.53 billion. This makes the current jackpot the largest in the game’s almost three-decade history.
More than 30 consecutive drawings have passed since the last jackpot win in April earlier this year. Winning numbers for the most recent jackpot drawing on Aug. 4 were 11, 30, 45, 52, and 56 with the Mega ball number set at 20.
What are the odds?
Winning the Mega Millions jackpot requires some long odds, according to the Kansas Lottery. While your overall chances of winning a prize are relatively good, one in 24, the chances of walking away with the jackpot are much smaller:
MatchWinOddsFive numbers and the Mega BallWin or share the jackpotOne in 302,575,350Five numbers but not the Mega Ball$1,000,000One in 12,607,306Four numbers and the Mega Ball$10,000One in 931,001Four numbers but not the Mega Ball$500One in 38,792Three numbers and the Mega Ball$200One in 14,547Three numbers but not the Mega Ball$10One in 606Two numbers and the Mega Ball$10One in 693One number and the Mega Ball$4One in 89Only the Mega Ball$2One in 37
Can you remain anonymous?
Kansans who win big have the option of remaining anonymous, according to the Kansas Lottery. Only nine other states allow winners to remain anonymous: Delaware, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming.
Levels of anonymity can vary wildly across the U.S. with Kansas being one of the few states that gives winners the option to keep their names secret alongside where the winners live, according to the Kansas Lottery. The winner of a Powerball jackpot prize of $92 million in 2022 chose to remain anonymous, revealing only that the winner lived in Johnson County.
Collecting your winnings
To see if you won anything through Mega Millions, the Kansas Lottery recommends following these tips:
Watch your local 10 p.m. television newscast
Read your newspaper the day after the drawing.
Check your ticket at a Kansas Lottery retailer location.
Visit the Mega Millions Winning Numbers page.
Call the Kansas Lottery’s hotline at 1-800-544-9467.
To receive winning numbers via email, sign up for the Kansas Lottery Players Club.
Mega Millions players have 60 days from the date the winning ticket is validated and claimed to decide whether they want the cash or annuity option, according to the Kansas Lottery. Taxes on your winnings are set at 24% federally and 5% at the state level.
Players who choose the annuity option will receive prizes in payments over the next 29 years in a total of 30 payments, according to the Kansas Lottery. Those who choose the cash option collect their winnings in one lump payment and is half the estimated annuity option jackpot, depending on current interest rates.
To learn more about how to play Mega Millions, click here.