These Mega Millions winning numbers 12/5/23 are among the most commonly drawn

The following charts, updated after each Mega Millions lottery drawing, help you see which numbers have a better chance of rolling out because they haven't hit for weeks or haven't rolled out as often in the last two years.

How much is the Mega Millions jackpot?

No ticket had all six winning Mega Millions numbers Tuesday, so the estimated jackpot grows to at least $395 million (with a cash option of $188.2 million); the jackpot grows until it is won. There's no significant way of improving your 1 in 302.6 million odds of winning the jackpot – unless you have millions of dollars to gamble. Still, these charts below have, at times, highlighted a winning number or two that helped players cut their odds just a bit.

Mega Millions winning numbers 12/5/23

Looking to pick winning Powerball numberThese are the most commonly drawn.

How long has it been since each Mega Millions number won?

All but one ball has rolled out in the 100-plus drawings during the past 12 months, but a handful haven't come up in months, such as Nos. 4 and 58. For the Mega Ball, No. 10 hasn't rolled out in more than a year.

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The most frequently drawn Mega Millions numbers

These two charts show the dozens of draws during the last couple of years and give you a sense of which numbers have hit at above- or below-average rates. 

Least likely numbers: Nos. 3, 29 and 38 have been picked two dozen times or more – well above the average of 15 times. Nos. 29 and 38 have both rolled out recently.

Most likely numbers: Nos. 34, 49 and 56 have hit seven or fewer times in the game's recent history, although 49 rolled out last Saturday night.

The most frequently drawn Mega Millions Ball numbers

Among the Mega Balls, Nos. 18 and 24 are the least likely. Also, 24 rolled out on Nov. 21, and 18 hit on Tuesday night. Nos. 5 and 10 are well below the expected average. Of the two, only 10 hasn't hit in 2023. 

How often AND how recently have Mega Millions balls rolled out

After combining the two charts, the white No. 58 ball and the Mega Balls 10 and 23 appear to be even better candidates to roll out of the machines in the coming weeks. 

Beware of the back-to-back Mega Millions winners

With 70 white balls in the hopper, it seems like you can usually count out the five winning balls from the previous drawing. In general, that's a good place to start narrowing down the multitude of possibilities. But, based on the results of the last two years, the same white ball shows up in back-to-back drawings more often than you might expect.

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

Friday, Dec. 8: The Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET. You pick five numbers between 1-70 for the white balls and select one number between 1-25 for the yellow Mega Ball. Match all five white balls in any order and pick the correct yellow ball, and you're a jackpot winner.