WASHINGTON — Adding to the excitement of Independence Day celebrations was the possibility of a massive windfall in the form of a $400 million Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday, with a cash option of more than $206 million.
But nobody took home the jackpot, meaning another lucky ticket holder may be up for the grand prize on July 7.
Two people did pick all five white ball numbers correctly, but neither got the Mega Ball, which would have given them the jackpot. One of those tickets sold in Missouri won $1 million, while the other ticket purchased in Idaho will get $3 million because that player added the Megaplier bonus.
Mega Millions hasn't seen a grand prize winner since April 18, when a 71-year-old man from New York won the state's largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. Johnnie Taylor of Howard Beach in Queens, New York, won $476 million but opted for the cash option — a lump sum of more than $157 million after taxes.
Winners almost always take the cash option, but they do have a choice to instead get the full amount in regular payments over 29 years.
Players must match all five white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the jackpot.
Mega Millions winning numbers for July 4, 2023:
The winning numbers were 21-33-54-61-67, Mega Ball 12 and Megaplier of 3x.
What are the largest lottery jackpots ever won?
1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
4. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
5. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
6. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
7. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
8. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
9. $731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
10. $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021 (one ticket, from California)
The game's giant prizes come with miniscule chances of actually winning — winners overcome odds of roughly 1 in 302.6 million.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that someone had won the Mega Millions jackpot drawing on July 4. While two players matched all five numbers, neither correctly picked the Mega Ball.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.