Mega Millions Jackpot Is $530 Million for Tonight's Drawing

The Mega Millions drawing takes place Friday night, offering players a chance to win the seventh largest jackpot in the lottery game’s history.

The $530 million jackpot refers to the annuity option, paid over 29 years. A winner who chooses to take the cash option will receive $343.9 million, before taxes.

• UK's Brexit Party Narrowly Defeated in Key Electoral Test

Mega Millions numbers will be drawn at 11 p.m. EST.

It costs $2 to play the game and players must select five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. The odds of matching all six numbers and winning the jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million.

• 'Sell By' or What? US Pushes for Clarity on Expiration Dates

Mega Millions is one of two national lottery games. It's played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mega Millions jackpots start out at $40 million and roll over if there is no jackpot winner. The last jackpot was won in Missouri on March 12, with a $50 million prize.

• Regulators Give Phone Companies New Tools to Fight Robocalls

The largest jackpot in U.S. history was a $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in October 2018 by one player in South Carolina. The second-largest prize for Mega Millions was $656 million for the March 30, 2012, drawing, in which there were three winning tickets.

 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

from NBC New York - Top Stories http://bit.ly/2I26EmP