US jackpot keeps growing

– The US Mega Millions jackpot swelled to $868 million (R12.3 billion) yesterday – the second-largest in US history, after no winning ticket was sold in Tuesday night’s draw.

The Mega Millions jackpot rose from $667 million after no one hit the six numbers drawn on Tuesday, extending a winless streak for the top prize.

The prize is the largest yet for Mega Millions and the country’s second-highest on record, trailing a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot that was paid out in 2016.

Tickets are sold at $2 each in supermarkets and petrol stations in 44 US states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

The immediate cash value of the Mega Millions prize, which winners can opt to take, is $494.5 million. The higher amount is an annuitised value if the prize is paid out over 29 years.

The Mega Millions jackpot has grown with each of the 24 semi-weekly drawings that failed to produce a top winner since July 24, when an 11-member office pool hit a $543 million jackpot.

The odds of hitting the jackpot by matching all six numbers are one in 302.6 million, but the odds of turning a ticket into a winner of any kind, including a $2 prize for matching the “Mega ball,” are one in 24. – Reuters

New York