US Mega Millions lottery at record $1.6bn

THE Mega Millions lottery in the US has a mind-boggling $1.6 billion (R23bn) up for grabs this week.

All eyes were on the latest draw on Friday night, when the jackpot was already $1bn. However, with no ticket matching all six numbers drawn – 15, 23, 53, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 7 – the grand prize went up to $1.6bn. The next draw is tomorrow. “Mega Millions has already entered historic territory, but it’s truly astounding to think that now the jackpot has reached an all-time world record,” Gordon Medenica, lead director of the Mega Millions Group and director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, said. “It’s hard to overstate how exciting this is – but now it’s really getting fun.”

Medenica said about 57% of the possible number combinations were bought in advance of Friday’s draw and that it was an “extremely pleasant surprise” that there was no winner.

What’s more, the jackpot was likely to grow even larger before tomorrow, as word of the record-breaking grand prize grew and prompted even people who didn’t normally play the lottery to buy a ticket, Medenica said.

The estimated cash option for a $1.6bn jackpot – should a winner choose to take a one-time lump sum payment instead of annual payouts over 30 years – is about $905million, according to Mega Millions officials.

The previous record Mega Millions jackpot was $656m, claimed in 2012. Winners in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland shared that jackpot.

Although no one won the grand prize outright on Friday, Mega Millions officials said there were 15 tickets sold with numbers that matched all five white balls but not the Mega Ball. |