A New Jersey lottery player is celebrating a $2 million Mega Millions win after matching all five white balls in the Tuesday, October 6, drawing.
No ticket matched all six numbers for the jackpot, but two players matched the five white balls and landed million-dollar prizes. The New Jersey ticket included a 2X multiplier, boosting the prize to $2 million. A ticket sold in Florida had a 3X multiplier and won $3 million.
The exact retailers that sold the winning tickets in New Jersey and Florida have not yet been identified.
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $364 million
With no jackpot winner, the Mega Millions top prize is now estimated at $364 million, with a cash option of approximately $147.3 million for Friday's drawing.
The jackpot was most recently won on July 28, 2026, when a Florida player claimed an $803 million prize.
October 6 Mega Millions winning numbers
The winning numbers were:
26 - 32 - 42 - 51 - 54
Mega Ball: 22
The odds of matching all five white balls are about 1 in 12.63 million, while the odds of winning the jackpot are roughly 1 in 290.47 million.
How Mega Millions works
Mega Millions tickets now cost $5 each, and every ticket includes a built-in multiplier that can increase non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times.
Players choose:
- Five white-ball numbers from 1 to 70
- One Mega Ball number from 1 to 24
- Or they can use a randomly generated Quick Pick
You don't have to be a U.S. citizen or live in the state where you purchase a ticket to play.
Even matching just the Mega Ball can win a prize of at least $10. Matching all five white balls can bring a prize of at least $2 million, except where California's prize structure applies.
Where can you play Mega Millions?
Mega Millions is available in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The five states without Mega Millions are:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Utah
Tickets are commonly sold at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airports also offer lottery tickets.
In certain states, players can order tickets online through approved lottery courier services.
When is the next Mega Millions drawing?
Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
Ticket purchase deadlines vary by state and can range from about 15 minutes to an hour or more before the drawing. Online lottery services may have earlier cutoffs, so players should check their local deadline.
Mega Millions' biggest jackpots
Some of the largest Mega Millions jackpots in history include:
- $1.602 billion — August 8, 2023, Florida
- $1.537 billion — October 23, 2018, South Carolina
- $1.348 billion — January 13, 2023, Maine
- $1.337 billion — July 29, 2022, Illinois
- $1.269 billion — December 27, 2024, California
- $1.128 billion — March 26, 2024, New Jersey
- $1.05 billion — January 22, 2021, Michigan
- $983 million — November 14, 2025, Georgia
- $810 million — September 10, 2024, Texas
- $803 million — July 28, 2026, Florida
Despite the massive prizes, the odds of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot remain extremely long at 1 in 290,472,336.
So while a big jackpot can be exciting, it's always worth remembering that winning is a long shot.
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