Mega Millions jackpot rises to $541M after no big winners again

Lottery players may be dreaming of a big holiday gift, with the Mega Millions jackpot rising to about $541 million for Tuesday night’s drawing.
The jackpot for Dec. 3 got bumped up after no lottery players across the nation matched all six winning numbers in Friday night’s drawing.
The winning numbers Friday were: 3, 29, 34, 37 and 38, with the Mega ball of 17. The Megaplier was 2x.
One lucky winner purchased a ticket worth $1 million, because it matched all five numbers in the main batch, but not the Mega number. The ticket was sold in Oregon, according to the official Mega Millions website.
The jackpot for Tuesday night will be very close to reaching the Top 10 for the biggest prizes in Mega Millions history. The 10th largest prize as $552 million, with one winning ticket sold in Illinois on June 4.
The Mega Millions lottery was launched in September 1996 under a different name, the Big Game. The name was changed to Mega Millions in May 2002, after more states joined the lottery game.
Mega Millions drawings are held each Tuesday and Friday in New Jersey and 44 other states, along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.