The numbers drawn for the Tuesday night Mega Millions jackpot were 32-53-60-63 with a Mega Ball of 6 and a Megaplier 4x; however, no winning ticket was sold.
This means that the $128 million jackpot will grow to $144 million for the Friday night drawing. The cash option is set at $84 million.
By far, this isn’t the largest jackpot in American history. On March 30, 2012 three jackpot-winning tickets were sold in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland. The amount of $656 million made not only Mega Millions history, but also American lottery history. All three tickets were claimed and each winner chose the cash option at $158 million.
The largest lone-winning ticket occurred on March 25, 2011. It was set at $319 million.
Mega Millions, as well as Powerball, are currently available in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah do not operate or allow a state lottery by either law or state constitutional mandate.
Even though the odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 258,890,850, lottery players still chunk down the bills and dream about how different their lives would be after winning.
I might go buy me a mega millions ticket. 144 mill sound real nice rn
— Kamerin (@killakam54) August 13, 2014
I already know the speech I'm giving up in here, when I hit Mega Millions!!!
— Kimberly N. Scates (@NichelleCanCan) August 13, 2014
well I didn't win last night so work it is for me #lotto #dollarplay #quickpick #megamillions gonna try again Friday pic.twitter.com/lbP6gfTzOK
— Amanda Ann (@BellasWhiskey89) August 13, 2014
But lottery players should also be aware of scams. Fraud Watch International lists approximately 380 known lottery scam operatives around the world. Players should be wary of any letter or email they receive advising that they have won a lottery prize, being asked to pay up-front fees for taxes or legal fees, or receiving a collect call from anyone claiming to be a lottery official.
Players should also remember to buy tickets only from authorized lottery retailers and to never purchase tickets from foreign lotteries by phone or by mail.
If players can’t wait until Friday’s drawing, Powerball is set to draw winning numbers tonight with a $40 million jackpot.
Image via Wikimedia Commons