Mega Millions Jackpot Climbs To $750 Million, As Tonight's Powerball Prize Tops $550 Million
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — And the pot continues to grow... players in Texas and across the country will have another shot this week at one of the largest lottery jackpots.
On Friday night the Mega Millions game will offer the fifth-largest jackpot in U.S. history, after no tickets matched all the numbers in the latest drawing.
The jackpot for Tuesday night's Mega Millions was $625 million and lottery officials say it's rising to an estimated $750 million. The Mega Millions numbers drawn Tuesday were: 12-14-26-28-33, Mega Ball: 09.
If you're hoping to walk away with more than $1 billion you'll also need to snag the Powerball jackpot. The big prize for Powerball is $550 million for Wednesday night's drawing.
The jackpots promoted by lotteries refer to the winnings of those who opt for annuities paid out over 30 years -- not the one-time lump sum option. Nearly all jackpot winners actually take the cash option, which would be an estimated $550.6 million for Friday's Mega Millions drawing and $411.4 million for Powerball.
You always hear you can't win if you don't play, but the odds of winning Mega Millions are one in 302.5 million. There's a slightly better chance of winning in Powerball, where the odds are one in 292.2 million.
Mega Millions is played in Texas, 43 other states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It costs $2 to play and the drawings happen on held Tuesdays and Fridays. The sales cutoff time in Texas is 9:45 p.m.
Powerball tickets are $2, the drawings are on Wednesday and Saturday and the sales time cut off in Texas is 9:00 p.m. -- about an hour and 15 minutes before the actual drawing.
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