Politics & Government

Record $540M Mega Millions Jackpot Fuels Ticket Frenzy Evident in the Pass

If one ticket matches all six numbers for the half-billion-dollar jackpot, the winner could choose to receive 26 annual payments of about $20.7 million, or a cash option estimated at $389.8 million, Mega Millions officials said.

A record $540 million jackpot in the 42-state Mega Millions lottery has fueled a ticket-buying frenzy that reaches to the San Gorgonio Pass.

Mega Millions officials call the half-billion-dollar prize "the largest lottery jackpot in world history," and Frank Aziz of on East Ramsey in Banning said his customers proved their interest Thursday.

"Yeah, it's been busy, for sure," Aziz said Thursday night in a phone interview. "We've sold a lot of tickets today. We'll sell more tomorrow. Today, $800, maybe a thousand dollars worth . . . Yes, I bought one, too."

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The drawing for the current jackpot is at 8 p.m. Friday, Mega Millions officials said.

The current jackpot has been growing since Jan. 24, when Mega Millions had its last jackpot winner, lottery officials said Thursday. The jackpot has since rolled over 18 times without a winner.

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"The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately one in 176 million," Mega Millions officials said. "The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are approximately 1 in 40."

Mega Millions tickets cost $1 each. If one ticket matches all six numbers for the half-billion-dollar jackpot, the winner could choose to receive 26 annual payments of about $20.7 million, or a cash option estimated at $389.8 million, lottery officials said.

Mega Millions is played in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. In California, about 30 percent of every dollar spent on Mega Millions tickets funds K-12 schools and higher education, according to state lottery officials.

Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time, 10 p.m. Central Time, 9 p.m. Mountain Time, and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time.


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