May 28, 2026
The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $331 million for tonight’s drawing after no ticket matched all winning numbers on Tuesday. The prize carries an estimated cash option of $145.2 million.
The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $331 million after no ticket matched all winning numbers in the latest drawing.
Tuesday’s draw did not produce a jackpot winner or any seven-figure prize winners, meaning the top prize will roll over once again. The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for tonight, May 29, at 11 p.m. ET.
The jackpot now carries an estimated cash option of $145.2 million.
No Jackpot Winner on Tuesday
The previous Mega Millions drawing took place on May 26, when players were competing for a $311 million jackpot with a cash option of $136.4 million.
The winning numbers were:
1, 5, 49, 51, 59
Mega Ball: 7
No player matched all five white balls and the Mega Ball, which would have secured the jackpot. There were also no winners in the second prize tier, where matching all five white balls can produce a payout ranging from $2 million to $10 million, depending on the multiplier.
Five Players Win Five-Figure Prizes
Although the main prize remained unclaimed, several players still walked away with notable wins.
Five tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball, producing five-figure payouts. Two players won $20,000 each, another two players collected $30,000 each, and one ticket secured a $50,000 prize.
Those wins kept the drawing from being completely quiet, even though the largest prizes went untouched.
How the Prize Tiers Actually Work
The jackpot is the number that sells the ticket, but it is only the top rung of a much longer ladder. Below it sits a full structure of fixed and multiplied prizes, and on most nights that structure is where all of the money leaves the game.
5 + Mega Ball: the jackpot — no winners
5 white balls: the second tier, worth $2m–$10m with the multiplier — no winners
4 + Mega Ball: five tickets, paying $20,000, $30,000 and $50,000
Everything below: the smaller fixed prizes that quietly pay out on every single draw
The gap between the two top tiers and everything underneath is the reason a drawing can look like a blank night in the headlines while still paying real money to thousands of players. Matching four white balls plus the Mega Ball is a rare result in its own right — and on Tuesday it was the best anyone in the country managed.
Why the Jackpot Keeps Rolling
Rollovers are not a malfunction; they are the design. The odds of matching all five white balls and the Mega Ball run into the hundreds of millions to one, which means the overwhelming majority of drawings are expected to end without a winner. Each draw is also entirely independent of the last — a jackpot that has gone unclaimed for two months is no more "due" than one that was won last week.
What changes with each rollover is the size of the prize and the behaviour of the players. A larger advertised jackpot pulls in occasional buyers who do not play every week, sales climb, and more number combinations get covered. That is why very large jackpots tend to be claimed in bursts: not because the game becomes easier, but because far more of the possible combinations are in circulation.
Annuity or Cash: the Choice Behind the $145.2 Million
The two figures attached to every Mega Millions jackpot describe the same prize in two different ways. The advertised $331 million is the annuity value, paid out in instalments over decades. The $145.2 million cash option is the lump sum available immediately, before tax.
Jackpot Has Been Growing for Two Months
The Mega Millions jackpot has now been building for around two months. A run of drawings without a grand prize winner has allowed the top prize to grow into one of the larger lottery jackpots currently available in the United States.
Tonight’s drawing will determine whether the $331 million jackpot is finally claimed or rolls over again to an even larger amount.
Only Two Mega Millions Jackpots Won in 2026
So far, only two Mega Millions jackpots have been won in 2026.
Both wins came in March. The first jackpot of the year was claimed by a player in Illinois who matched all six winning numbers. Shortly afterward, another player in Ohio won a $60 million jackpot on St. Patrick’s Day.
That Ohio prize was later claimed by the Happy Trails Trust.
Since then, Mega Millions has gone through a quieter period, with no jackpot winner in recent weeks. The lack of top-prize winners has helped push the jackpot to its current $331 million level.
Two jackpots in a year is not unusual for a game with odds this long, and it is worth remembering what the pattern means for anyone buying a ticket tonight: the number on the sign has grown, but the chance of matching six numbers has not moved at all.
Tonight’s Drawing Could Create a New Millionaire
With the jackpot now above $300 million, player interest is expected to increase ahead of tonight’s drawing.
If one ticket matches all five white balls and the Mega Ball, the winner will be able to choose between the full annuity value of $331 million or the estimated $145.2 million cash option.
If no one wins tonight, the Mega Millions jackpot will continue to grow for the next drawing.
Jackpot figures are estimates published by the lottery operator and can change before a drawing. Playing the lottery should stay entertainment — set your limits, only stake what you can comfortably lose, and if it stops being fun, take a break.
