Mega Millions numbers for Friday, July 29 revealed

The fourth billion-dollar lottery prize in U.S. history was up for grabs in Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing.

The winning numbers were 67-45-57-16-13, with the Mega Ball being 14.

The top prize of $1.28 billion — which could become even bigger if ticket sales boom — is the largest in more than three years, as the lack of a winner in 29 drawings since April 15 has pushed the top prize into historic proportions.

Tuesday’s jackpot trails only two prizes ever in U.S. lotteries.

The Oct. 23, 2018, the Mega Millions game had one winner get $1.537 billion, the most valuable ticket in U.S. history. The biggest prize was the Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball game in which the $1.586 billion jackpot was split among three tickets.

In the only other prize to top the “billion with a b” threshold, a ticket sold in Michigan for the Jan. 22, 2021, Mega Millions drawing was worth $1.05 billion.

If taken in a single massive payment, as most recent big lottery winners have chosen to do, Tuesday’s $1.1 billion Mega Millions prize would be worth $648 million. The larger, advertised amount is what the other option — a 29-year annuity — would be worth over its lifetime.

Federal taxes would quickly take almost 40% of that amount, with state taxes a possibility on top of that.

The $2 Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.