Mega Millions: 1 Winning Ticket Sold, Check Your Numbers

A winning ticket for the Mega Millions drawing on Friday was sold in Ohio. The Mega Millions jackpot had grown to $143 million after no one picked all six correct numbers in the Tuesday drawing. The holder of the winning jackpot ticket has an option to take a $84.3 million lump sum payout.

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday, May 4, are 4, 5, 10, 12 and 18 and the gold Mega Ball is 21. The Megaplier is 4.

The last winning jackpot ticket was sold on Friday, March 30, in Riverdale, New Jersey. The winner of that jackpot, Richard Wahl, is a Michigan man who moved to New Jersey last July. His was the only winning ticket sold. The $521 million jackpot was the fourth largest in the game's history.

The highest jackpot for Mega Millions was $656 million – won six years ago to the day on Friday, March 30, 2012. Since then, jackpots of $648 million and $536 million were won in 2013 and 2016, respectively.

After a jackpot is won, it automatically resets $40 million and grows with each lottery where there is not a winning jackpot ticket sold.

A single play costs $2. Players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers – five different numbers from 1 to 70 and one number from 1 to 25 (the Mega Ball number). Players can also use an easy pick feature, where a computer selects random numbers for them. To win the jackpot, a player much match all six numbers.

The odds of picking the correct numbers on five white balls and one yellow ball are one in 259 million.
No matter how many people play Mega Millions, the chances of winning never change. The chances of winning are based on the amount of number combinations, not the number of players buying tickets, say lottery officials.

Mega Millions is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings take place at 11 p.m. ET each Tuesday and Friday.

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