The sale of Mega Millions tickets paid off in a big way for Virginia schools during the jackpot climb.
The Virginia Lottery released its totals right after the Friday, Jan. 13 draw. It produced a single winner for the $1.348 billion jackpot. A player in Maine claimed the second-largest jackpot in the history of the game.
Virginia had its share of winners, according to the state lottery. For the Jan. 13 drawing alone:
- 201,739 Mega Millions tickets in Virginia won prizes ranging from $2 to $10,000.
- One ticket matched four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball number to win $10,000. The Limestone Drive 7-Eleven in Gainesville, VA, sold that winning ticket.
Mega Millions draws are held at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, so 26 drawings fed the jackpot run. It began in October and ended with the lucky Friday the 13th combo in Maine.
During that window, Virginia Mega Millions tickets generated an estimated $28.9 million in profit. That windfall goes to K-12 public education funding. Lottery products are sold at more than 5,300 retail locations statewide.
Virginia has online lottery sales as well. The offerings include draw game plays like Mega Millions and Powerball.
- 50% Up to $100 on Deposit
- 20 Free Games on Sign Up
- Use Code: PLAYVA
Check your Mega Millions tickets one more time
Winning numbers for the big Jan. 13 Mega Millions draw were 30-43-45-46-61. The Mega Ball was 14.
The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24. Prizes start at $2 and increase all the way to the jackpot:
- The jackpot for the correct Mega Ball and all five numbers (1-in-302,575,350)
- $1 million for five correct numbers excluding the Mega Ball (1-in-12,607,306)
- $10,000 for the correct Mega Ball plus four correct numbers (1-in-931,001)
- $500 for four correct numbers excluding Mega Ball (1-in-38,792)
- $200 for the correct Mega Ball + any three numbers (1-in-14,547)
- $10 for the correct Mega Ball + any two numbers (1-in-693) or any three numbers (1-in-606)
- $4 for the correct Mega Ball + any other number (1-in-89)
- $2 for the correct Mega Ball (1-in-37)
All unclaimed Virginia Lottery prizes go to the Literary Fund, which provides low-interest loans for:
- public-school construction
- renovations and
- technology upgrades.
The Lottery transferred $17.1 million to the Literary Fund in FY 2022. Since 1988, the Literary Fund has benefitted from more than $337 million in unclaimed prizes.
The Mega Millions jackpot is back down to its $20 million base for Friday night’s drawing.
Powerball carries the bigger win now. It features a $473 million jackpot for Saturday night’s drawing.
