The jackpot will be drawn at 11pm EST Friday (Photos: Reuters/AP)
The Mega Millions jackpot has grown to $1,280,000,000 billion, the second largest jackpot in the game’s 25-year history and the third largest of any US lottery game.
At just $2 per ticket, people might be tempted to gamble on their luck – but according to Mega Millions, there’s about a one in 303 million chance of winning when the lucky numbers are drawn Friday night at 11pm EST.
The current jackpot started back in April, and while several people have come close to claiming the prize, no one has been able to match all six numbers in the game.
Only players who receive their winnings through an annuity paid annually over 29 years will receive a total of $1.28 billion. Almost all of the game’s winners accept the cash prize, which as of Friday will equal a still-massive $742.2 million.
The current record Mega Millions jackpot is $1.537 billion, which was won in 2018. This winning ticket was sold in South Carolina and is the largest lottery prize ever won by a single ticket in the entire world.
The largest jackpot of any US lottery game was won in 2016 and shared among winners in California, Florida and Tennessee. That Powerball game was worth a whopping $1.586 billion.
Mega Millions jackpots start at $20 million and grow larger depending on game sales and interest rates. Four Mega Millions jackpots have been won so far this year in California, New York, Minnesota and Tennessee.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington and the US Virgin Islands. Half of the revenue from the sale of each ticket stays with the state where the ticket is sold, and with larger grand prizes, state officials aim to get more funding for their causes.
Earlier this week, fast-food chain Raising Canes went viral after its founder bought 50,000 Mega Millions tickets — one for each of the company’s employees.
At the time of the purchase, the total jackpot was only $810 million, but the company was not successful. As the jackpot grew in size, restaurant management decided to re-purchase tickets for their staff before Friday night’s drawing.
If Raising Cane’s wins the jackpot payout option, each of the company’s employees will receive nearly $13,000, according to the Washington Post.
Six winning numbers will be drawn at 11pm EST Friday.
Contact our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check out our news page.
Add Comment