Who wouldn't want to enter the new year a few million dollars richer?
The Mega Millions jackpot has now climbed to $685 million, according to lottery officials, and will keep climbing ahead of Friday night's drawing.
No one won the lottery game's top prize Tuesday night, making it 21 straight drawings without anyone matching all six numbers.
The huge jackpot comes less than two months after the largest lottery prize ever, a $2.04 billion Powerball prize that was won Nov. 8 in California. So far, that big winner hasn't stepped forward to claim the prize.
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The reason for all the big prizes is simple — long odds ensure there are few winners and the long streaks of lottery futility allow jackpots to grow ever larger week after week.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot is one in 302.6 million.
The advertised jackpot of $640 million is for a winner who opts to be paid with an annuity, doled out through annual payments over 29 years. Nearly all winners take the cash option, with for Friday's drawing will be an estimated $328.3 million.
How Do You Play?
Each ticket costs $2 to play. Players also have the option to add a "Megaplier" option to their tickets. That addition costs $1, and can potentially multiply any non-jackpot prize a player wins.
To play, players are asked to pick five numbers between 1-and-70, and to choose one Mega Ball.
Players can either pick their own numbers, or can have the machine select numbers for them. Tickets must be purchased one hour or more before the drawing.
How Do You Win Prizes?
There are nine different ways to win prizes in the game.
If you match all five numbers and the Mega Ball, you win the jackpot. The odds of doing so are around 1-in-302 million.
Here are the other eight prize levels. All of these prizes are subject to the “Megaplier,” which can increase the given prize.
- Match five numbers: $1 million
- Match four numbers and the Mega Ball: $10,000
- Match four numbers: $500
- Match three numbers and the Mega Ball: $200
- Match three numbers: $10
- Match two numbers and the Mega Ball: $10
- Match one number and the Mega Ball: $4
- Match the Mega Ball: $2
When Do Drawings Take Place?
The drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET.
