If you haven’t heard yet, the stakes just got a little higher for the next Mega Millions lottery drawing.
If somebody wins, Tuesday’s drawing will determine who will take home the newly announced jackpot prize of $565 million — the sixth-largest amount in the game’s history — Mega Millions said in a news release.
After no ticket matched all six numbers in Friday’s drawing, the jackpot climbed up by around $55 million. The winning numbers were 15, 21, 32, 38 and 62 for the white balls and 8 for the gold Mega Ball.
While no one won the overall prize during the lottery’s last drawing, two lucky tickets sold in California and Illinois fit the bill for five of the winning numbers and earned the $1 million prize. Across the country, 31 tickets matched four balls plus the Mega Ball, making them eligible for the third-tier prize.
Since the lottery was founded, 11 winning jackpots have surpassed $500 million or more, and the highest jackpot on record was set in 2018 at $1.537 billion.
On Oct. 14, Mega Millions announced its last jackpot winners, who shared the $502 million prize. The lottery has held 20 drawings since.
What are your odds?
It’s no surprise you have to beat seemingly impossible odds to win a notable prize from the lottery.
According to Mega Millions, you have a 1 in 302.5 million chance to win the big prize, but there are nine ways to win some money from the lottery.
Your chances of winning improve with fewer matching numbers. For the next best prize, valued at $1 million, your chances are 1 in 12.6 million; for $2, your chances increase to 1 in 37. The overall chance for winning any prize in the lottery is 1 in 24.
Regular tickets to play cost $2 each. But if you pay an extra $1 you can increase your winnings by two, three, four or five times through a feature known as Megaplier, which is available in most states, including Texas.
____
