This jackpot’s the biggest loser!
The Mega Millions lottery prize soared to an estimated $843 million Wednesday, after the game’s longest run ever without a win.
Friday will mark the 38th consecutive drawing since the last time there was a six-number win — the largest such streak since the game began in 2002, lottery officials said.
Excitement is building over the massive prize with people flocking to buy tickets at a “lucky” store in Yonkers, where three $1 million Powerball tickets were sold on the same day last month.
“This store might make me a millionaire. After all, it’s the lucky store. I’m hoping coming here pays off,” said Harris Heywood, 65, who trekked from the Bronx to V&C Taneja, a BP gas station on Nepperhan Avenue, for a chance to hit it big.
“When I saw [the triple win] on the news, I started coming here,” he said, adding he’d spend the winning dough on an island vacation, a new car and some investments.
Shahid Shah, who manages the convenience store, said folks have come from far away for a shot at winning the massive jackpot, which is the eighth-largest in the game’s history.
“People are coming from the Bronx, Brooklyn and even Connecticut because they hear about us,” he said. “They spend $100, $200 and more. One man already spent $120 this morning.”
“We had a lot of people earlier and we are expecting much more,” he said of the steady stream of ticket buyers. “ I hope someone hits the jackpot here and breaks the [losing streak].”
Kelly Hargreaves, a 57-year-old teacher, said she’d immediately retire with the prize money.
“Hopefully I’ll be the one to break the streak and make this store even more lucky and my dreams come true,” said Hargreaves, who stopped in to buy a ticket while getting gas. “I hope the luck rubs off on me.”
The previous record of 37 drawings with no win was set January 22, 2021, when a player in Michigan hit it big with a $1.05 billion jackpot, officials said.
While nobody has won with all six numbers, there have been more than a dozen “second-tier” and “third-tier” prizes won, worth more than $274 million, officials said.
The estimated jackpot prize of $843 million surpassed the previous eighth-biggest ever, which was won in Texas in September 2024.
In total, the jackpot has a cash value of $391.7 million.
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Mega Millions jackpots grow larger each time a drawing is held without a grand prize winner in a system known as a “rollover.”
New York lottery spokesman Brad Maione declined to comment on why, if it’s the longest Mega Millions streak without a win, it’s not the largest jackpot in the game’s history.
The winning numbers for Tuesday’s drawing were 11, 14, 17, 50, 57 with a gold Mega Ball 6.
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