Winning Numbers Drawn For $1.6 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP/CBS) — The winning numbers have been drawn for the record $1.6 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot, but it isn't immediately clear if there's a winner.
The numbers drawn in Tuesday night's drawing are 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 5.
The estimated jackpot is the largest lottery prize ever . The jackpot has been growing since July, when a group of California office workers won $543 million.
If no tickets match the Tuesday numbers, lottery officials say the jackpot is expected to grow to an estimated $2 billion for Friday's drawing.
It costs $2 to play the game, but the odds of matching all six numbers and taking home the grand prize is a dismal 1 in 302.5 million.
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People have come up with "strategies" to win, which including driving a distance to play at a lucky location, but the most common strategy is number picking.
"I pick birthdays of people that I love and my friends," lottery hopeful Tia Littlepage of Wynnwood told Eyewitness News reporter Alicia Nieves."I usually go by birthdays and numbers that are traditionally lucky like seven, 13, 11 -- numbers like that."
"I wrote numbers down that I never normally do," Lisa White of West Philadelphia said. "I'm going against the grain. The other strategy is that I only usually buy one. I'm buying three today."
Others have a simpler approach: hope.
"Yeah, hope for the best," Kat Fleming of South Philadelphia said. "Just pick something and that's it. That's all you got is hope!"
With office pools being a popular way to play, an attorney offered advice to ensure that if your group does win that you don't get shut out.
"Just put it down in writing, basically just memorialize it somehow," explains David Jaffe of Freundlich and Littman. "You want proof that your money went towards the ticket and you want proof of the tickets being purchased."
The chance of winning both lotteries is one in 88 quadrillion, which is 88 followed by 15 zeroes!
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With odds of winning this jackpot being so slim, there is a silver lining for those who still hope to win big.
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot stands at $620 million.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.