Mega Millions jackpot leaps to record $868 million
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Mega Millions jackpot has been increased to at least $900 million. Read the latest update here.
The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to a staggering $868 million for Friday night's drawing. That's a record for the game – and the third largest in U.S. lottery history.
No ticket had all six winning numbers in Tuesday night's drawing for what was a $667 million top prize and, at the time, the biggest ever for Mega Millions. Those numbers were 3, 45, 49, 61, 69 with a Mega Ball of 9.
The estimated cash value of Friday's jackpot is $494 million. For Tuesday's, it was $380 million.
If the winner chooses the annuity option, the jackpot would be paid out over 29 years. The cash option is usually favored by the winners.
Nine Mega Millions tickets had the five white balls to win the second prize -- $1 million. And one of those, sold in Texas, had the Megaplier option, available in most states for an extra $1. That ticket is worth $5 million.
The jackpot keeps swelling because nobody has won since July 24, when 11 workers in a California office shared $543 million, the largest prize ever won on a single ticket in the game.
Mega Millions says its previous record jackpot was a $656 million prize that was shared by winners from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland in March 2012.
"Everyone is talking about the jackpot and running out to buy tickets for tonight's drawing," Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions lead director and Maryland Lottery and Gaming director, said in a press release about Tuesday night's suspense.
How to play Mega Millions
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 per play and there are a total of nine ways to win a prize, ranging from the jackpot down to $2. You can play Mega Millions in 46 localities: 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Powerball jackpot Wednesday
The Powerball jackpot up for grabs Wednesday night will be a hefty $345 million, with a cash value of $199 million.
The largest Powerball jackpot -- and biggest in U.S. lottery history -- was $1.586 billion, which was shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016.
Odds of winning
The odds of winning a jackpot remain abysmal at 1 in 302 million for Mega Millions and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball.
Who buys lotto tickets?
The average American spends about $223 per year on lottery tickets, according to a survey from LENDedu. Massachusetts residents have the biggest taste for playing the odds, spending almost $763 per year on lottery tickets, the study found. North Dakotans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending about $44 per year on the lottery, or the lowest average figure among residents of all 50 states.
Aimee Picchi contributed to this report.