March 28 (UPI) — The Mega Millions jackpot rose Wednesday to a half-billion dollars, after no winner turned up from the latest drawing.
The pot jumped to $502 million, or $301 for Friday night’s drawing. The prize has been in the rise since Jan. 5, when a 20-year-old Florida man claimed a $451 million jackpot.
Friday’s is the fourth largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. The last time it surpassed $500 million was July 2016, when a single player in Indiana won $536 million.
“Jackpot rolls are always exciting but surpassing the $500 million mark for only the fourth time is a historic milestone,” said Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions director. “Large jackpots like this one capture everyone’s attention, and it would be great to see the roll go on for a while longer. But at the same time, we can’t wait to see someone win.”
Combined with competitor Powerball, Friday’s prize is the 10th largest jackpot in U.S. history. Powerball set the world record in January 2016 when its pot reached $1.5 billion. The Mega Millions record was set six years ago this Friday at $656 million in 2012.
Last year, the Powerball pot topped out at $758 million.
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