Hang onto those lottery tickets, folks! The Mega Millions jackpot has shot past the $1 billion mark after no one matched the winning numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. This means that the next drawing on Friday will have an estimated jackpot of $1.15 billion, which could become the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history.
Joshua Johnston, the lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, mentioned that many people might receive tickets as holiday gifts. Just imagine what a wonderful surprise it would be if one of those tickets turned out to be worth a staggering $1.15 billion!
Winning the Mega Millions jackpot comes with incredibly tough odds—1 in 302,575,350. However, the chance of winning any prize in the game is somewhat better, at 1 in 24. Tickets for Mega Millions are available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with each ticket costing $2. Half of the ticket sales go back to the state where the ticket was purchased. Drawings take place at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Johnston emphasized that there’s no better way to celebrate the holiday season, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any personal tradition, than by chasing dreams with such substantial prizes available at all levels of the game. So, keep those tickets close; you never know what could happen!
