Mega Millions Jackpot Climbs to $1.25 Billion Tonight — How to Check Your Numbers & Boost Your Odds

The Mega Millions jackpot has exploded to an estimated $707 million with a cash option of roughly $307.7 million ahead of tonight’s Tuesday, July 21, 2026 drawing at 11 p.m. ET. The prize soared after no ticket matched all six numbers in last Friday’s game, marking 35 consecutive rollovers since the last grand-prize hit on March 17. Tonight’s winning numbers will be drawn from five white balls numbered 1-70 and one gold Mega Ball numbered 1-24. For reference, the winning combination in the previous drawing was 22-34-45-48-55 with Mega Ball 14. Check back shortly after 11 p.m. for the official results; if no one sweeps all six numbers again, lottery officials project the top prize could vault past $720 million for Friday’s game. How to play • Tickets cost $2 per line in 45 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. • Add the $1 Megaplier to multiply non-jackpot prizes up to 5×. • Sales cut off 15 min to 2 hr before the draw, depending on local rules. Payout choices Jackpot winners choose between the advertised annuity—paid over 30 graduated annual installments—or the one-time cash option, currently estimated at $307.7 million before taxes. Federal withholding starts at 24 percent, and most states levy their own income tax. Odds and tips The chance of matching all six numbers is 1 in 302,575,350, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24. To boost lower-tier payouts, many players use the Megaplier or buy group shares through office pools. Why this jackpot is historic At $707 million, tonight’s prize sits just outside the game’s all-time top five and ranks as the 10th-largest Mega Millions pot ever offered. It also marks the second time in 2026 that Mega Millions has eclipsed the half-billion mark, underscoring a run of formidable jackpots fueled by months of rollovers. What happens next • Check tickets right after the draw; smaller prizes can usually be claimed at retailers. • Sign the back of any winning ticket immediately. • For jackpots and major wins, contact your state lottery’s claims office; you typically have 180 days to one year, depending on jurisdiction. Stay tuned: we’ll update the story with tonight’s winning numbers, whether a jackpot-clinching ticket was sold, and what the next prize will be once lottery officials confirm the results.