Jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions hits $1.28 billion
The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday has risen to an estimated $1.28 billion, according to the game's website -- and would be the second-largest in the game's 20-year history and the third-largest of any US lottery game.
The cash value option of Friday's jackpot is $742.2 million.
The Mega Millions jackpot record is $1.537 billion, won by a single ticket sold in South Carolina. That's the second-largest jackpot for any US lottery game, though it's the world's largest lottery prize won by just one ticket, according to Mega Millions.
The largest jackpot of any US lottery game was $1.586 billion -- a Powerball prize from January 13, 2016, shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.
Mega Millions jackpots start at $20 million and grow based on game sales and interest rates. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 303 million, the release said.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands, with drawings on Tuesday and Friday.