Feeling lucky? Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1 billion after no winners Tuesday
For the third time in Mega Millions lottery history, the jackpot is over $1 billion. That’s billion with a B.
The amount surged past the $1 billion mark after Tuesday night’s $810 million drawing failed to yield any winners.
The jackpot amount will increase until Friday for the next drawing, as ticket sales have already seen an increase, Kristi Weeks, director of legal services for Washington’s Lottery told McClatchy. For larger jackpots such as these, most people purchase their tickets the day of the big drawing, so the official jackpot amount won’t be known until then.
Lottery ticket sales reached $5.4 million in Washington leading up the drawing Tuesday night, she said, and $3.1 million of that were Mega Millions sales. Typically, lottery sales are between $2.4 million and $2.6 million daily.
This is good for Washington residents because that revenue is returned through programs such as the Washington Opportunities Pathway Account, which funds colleges grants and scholarships, as well as early education and other education programs, Weeks said.
Last year the Washington Lottery provided $229 million in revenue, according to the Washington State Treasurer’s website.
Weeks said there’s really no secret to winning.
“I do tell people, if you don’t buy a ticket, you’re not going to win,” she added.
And, if you’re lucky enough to win, Weeks has some advice: sign the ticket first, put it away for safe keeping, and talk to an accountant and attorney. Above all, don’t tell anyone else until everything is in order. Winners have 180 days to bring the ticket in after the drawing.
If you aren’t careful, you’ll end up hearing from cousins and family you never knew you had, Weeks said.
She also added that it’s important to play responsibly and enjoy it as entertainment.
“Don’t spend your mortgage money on tickets,” she said. “And don’t spend your grocery money on tickets.”
According to the Mega Millions website, the odds of matching all six winning numbers for the jackpot are 1 in almost 303 million. Matching only 5 of the 6 winning numbers would still earn you a cool $1 million.
Winners have the option of taking a lump cash sum totaling $602.5 million, or they can choose to receive 30 payments over the course of 29 years. The IRS gets their cut too: 24% of the money goes to the government before being dispersed to winners.
The next drawing will be at 8 p.m. Friday, July 29. Each lottery ticket costs $2 per play.
Mega Millions, which has been operating since 2002, is offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its biggest jackpot ever was $1.56 billion.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 2:27 PM.
