The first Mega Millions drawing of 2026 is coming up Friday, and the jackpot has climbed to a tasty $157 million. With a cash option of roughly $72 million, this is the kind of lottery haul that could change your life forever. Or, you know, you could blow it all on parlays. We don't judge here.

The Quick Hit

• What's happening: Mega Millions jackpot sits at $157 million for the Friday, January 2nd drawing
• The cash value: Approximately $72 million if you take the lump sum
• Last drawing: December 30th—numbers were 18, 43, 49, 63, 69 with Mega Ball 6
• The move: Your New Year's resolution is already funded if you hit this

The Current Jackpot Landscape

After the Arkansas winner took down the $1.8 billion Powerball on Christmas Eve, both major lottery games have reset. Powerball started fresh at lower amounts, and Mega Millions is building back up after going unwon for several weeks.

$157 million isn't the headline-grabbing billion-dollar territory, but that's actually fine. Smaller jackpots mean fewer players splitting the pot if you win. The expected value nerds might even argue this is a better bet than chasing the monster jackpots.

The Numbers Game

Tuesday's drawing produced no jackpot winner with numbers 18, 43, 49, 63, 69 and Mega Ball 6. That means the pot rolls over and grows for Friday.

The odds of hitting all six numbers remain 1 in 302,575,350. Yes, those odds are brutal. But someone has to win eventually, and there's no rule saying it can't be some degen reading this article.

How to Play

Mega Millions tickets are $2 each and are available in 45 states plus DC and the Virgin Islands. Drawings happen Tuesday and Friday nights at 11 PM ET.

You can add the Megaplier for an extra dollar, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x. If you're playing anyway, the Megaplier adds expected value on the smaller prizes.

Quick picks are statistically no better or worse than choosing your own numbers. If you've got a system, use it. If not, let the machine do the work. Variance doesn't care about your birthday numbers.

What Would You Do?

$72 million after taxes still leaves you with somewhere around $45-50 million depending on your state. That's generational wealth territory. That's "never work again" money. That's "buy a suite at every sportsbook in Vegas" energy.

Of course, the real degenerates would immediately start calculating how much they could responsibly (or irresponsibly) bet on the Super Bowl. We see you. We are you.

The Bottom Line

The Mega Millions jackpot is healthy at $157 million, and Friday's drawing is your first shot at lottery glory in 2026. The Powerball reset after that massive Christmas Eve win, so Mega Millions is currently the bigger game in town. Grab a ticket, dream big, and remember—you can't win if you don't play. Good luck, degenerates.