Mega Millions winning numbers drawing for Friday, May 12, 2023

Is today your lucky day?

The Mega Millions lottery jackpot was an estimated $99 million with a cash option of $52.1 million for Friday night's drawing, according to the Mega Millions website.

The jackpot was last won on April 18 when someone in East Syracuse, New York won a $20 million jackpot and was also won on April 14 when a lottery player in Ozone Park, New York won a $483 million jackpot.

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot is at $125 million with a cash option of $67.2 million, according to the Powerball website.

Here are the Mega Millions winning numbers for Friday, May 12, 2023:

1 - 2 - 23 - 40 - 45 and Megaball 15

Megaplier was 3x

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Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

The cost is $2 per ticket, but you can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot).

Each player selects five numbers from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball. However, you can also have the lottery machine generate a random Quick Pick for you. You don't need to be a U.S. citizen or a resident a particular state where you purchase your ticket.

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You can win $2 for the matching just one - the Mega Ball. Short of the jackpot, you can win up to $1 million for matching all five white balls (except in California) to the jackpot for matching all six balls. You can check all the prize payouts on the Mega Millions site here.

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You can play the game in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states not offering Mega Millions are: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Many grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores sell lottery tickets. Some states allow Mega Millions tickets to be purchased online, but beware of scam websites. Check with your state lottery for more details.

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In New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, tickets must be purchased by 10:45 p.m. on the Tuesday and Friday to be included in that night's drawing.

However, some states have different deadlines and can be more than an hour before the drawing. Check with your local lottery so you don't miss out.

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Playing the Mega Millions can be exciting, but just don't go spending those millions before you win.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350-to-1. The odds to match all five white balls are 12,607,306-to-1.

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The major lotteries in the United States offer two jackpot payout options: annuity and cash.

The annuity option is paid out over time. There is an immediate payment and then 29 annual payments after that, increasing by 5% each year. The cash option is significantly lower than the advertised jackpot, but it is paid in a lump sum. You don't have to wait decades for all the money.

In some states, like New Jersey, you can win a lottery anonymously. That wasn't always the case, but now winners are able to stay anonymous under a law that was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. In other states, a winner's name and hometown are a matter of public record. Check with your state lottery for more information.

Here are the Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots ever:

Here's a look at the top jackpots were won in the United States, between the Powerball and the Mega Millions lotteries: