That’s a Lotto cash! USA’s Mega Millions jackpot $1.6bn

A LOTTO jackpot in the US is heading towards a world record $1.6billion.

More tickets for the Mega Millions draw are selling, increasing the chances that at least one buyer will pick all six winning numbers, stopping the streak of rollovers which reached 25 on Friday night.

If someone strikes it lucky tomorrow, the winnings are the equivalent to €1.4billion.

Based on sales projections, 75% of the 302million possible combinations will be chosen for tomorrow’s draw, up from 59.1% in Friday’s, said Carole Gentry, spokeswoman for Maryland Lottery and Gaming. ‘It’s possible that nobody wins again. But it’s hard to fathom,’ Ms Gentry said.

About 280million tickets were sold for Friday’s draw, with none matching the winning mix of 7, 15, 23, 53, 65 and 70 to claim an estimated prize of $1billion dollars (€868million).

Fifteen tickets matched five numbers for second-tier prizes of at least $1million.

The $1.6billion estimated jackpot would be the largest prize in the history of the world. The second-largest jackpot was a $1.586billion Powerball draw on January 13, 2016.

Irish people can get in on the Mega Millions action via the website Lottoland.ie, where it costs €7 per line.

Russ Lopez, spokesman for the California Lottery, said tickets were going ‘very, very quickly’.

The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing since July, when a group of 11 California office workers won $543million. It costs $2 to play the game in America. The odds of winning are about 302million to one.