The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever to be won was a $656 million prize split among three lottery winners, yet now there is a good chance for a new record to be set. On Friday, the amount climbed to $425 million and with nobody matching all five regular numbers and the Mega Ball, the jackpot will be rolled over. On Tuesday the winner can expect to collect an amount of $550 million but in case that nobody wins the main prize again, Friday’s drawing would reach another milestone in lottery history.
Friday the 13th proved unlucky
Lottery officials told the media that the huge Mega Millions jackpot prompted more players than usual to buy tickets and they couldn’t care less about playing on Friday the 13th. Many of those who bought tickets for that fateful day hoped to prove critics wrong by changing their lives for the better overnight. The winning numbers were 27, 26, 24, 19, 70 and 12 for Mega Ball but unfortunately for the dedicated players only second-tier prizes were awarded as nobody matched the winning combination.
Lottery officials realized one day before the drawing that the projections were exceeded by the actual sales and that prompted them to increase the size of the Mega Millions jackpot. At $425 million, the price would’ve been the second largest ever awarded by the popular American lottery and as always the number of players spiked in anticipation of such a win. If somebody breaks the ice on Tuesday and win the top prize, this will be the fourth largest jackpot ever awarded in the history of a US lottery.
Regular lottery players fantasize about winning
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 175 million so it goes without saying that the odds are stacked against players, even against those who purchase more tickets. This never had a deterring effect on lottery enthusiasts and most of those who bought tickets already dream about what they would be doing with the money. $550 million is plenty of cash to go around and for anyone lucky enough to match all the winning numbers, such a payout would mean the end of any financial concerns.
Most of those interviewed by lottery representatives and reporters say that the main priority would be to pay all outstanding debts, including college tuition for their children. Bigger houses, new cars and exotic vacations are on the list and some players even contemplate the prospect of starting their own business or funding existing ones. If projections are met and the Mega Millions jackpot soars above $550 million, the winner will receive around $250 million after taxes, more than enough to fulfill all his dreams.
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About Jeremy Rapaport
Okay, my name is Jeremy and you can find me on Google+. I`m here to write about the lottery. You may ask, why lottery? Everything is simple – life is the lottery! It`s a pretty interesting stuff to write about. Some people win, some people lose, but no one loses the hope. Here you can find everything you wanted to know about the lottery. Almost all world’s lotteries are gathered in one place. So, join us and let`s try our luck together!
