BOSTON (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot has now reached an estimated $800 million, with a cash option of $401.8 million for the upcoming drawing on Tuesday. This surge in the jackpot comes after no one was able to match all the winning numbers from the drawing last Friday night.
The last time someone won the jackpot was on June 4, when a ticket in Illinois secured a whopping $552 million.
This year, there have only been two jackpots won in the Mega Millions. Prior to the winning ticket in Illinois, a ticket worth $1.1 billion was sold in New Jersey back in March. Remarkably, that prize is still unclaimed, giving the winner one year to come forward and collect their winnings.
You can buy Mega Millions tickets in 45 states, as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia, with each ticket costing $2. It’s worth noting that half of the money made from ticket sales stays in the state where the ticket was purchased.
Your chances of winning the jackpot are about 1 in more than 302 million, while the odds of winning any prize in Mega Millions are 1 in 24.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won was a staggering $1.6 billion, which was claimed by a ticket sold in Florida last August.
