PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — No one woke up an instant billionaire on Saturday morning, but people are getting ready to play again. With no big winner in Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing, the estimated jackpot is rolling into a record-breaking $1.55 billion.
The last time someone won a Mega Millions jackpot was April 18, with 31 drawings since. Lottery fever is in full effect, even for first timers.
“Saw the news and figured it’s time to start buying some,” said Pat from Media, Pa. He hasn’t been participating in the recent drawings, but he decided not to waste time and get in on this one. People have until Tuesday night to get tickets.
Friday night’s numbers were 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the Mega Ball 20, with a Megaplier of 2.
While no one took home the jackpot, a handful of lucky ticket holders across the country matched five numbers, minus the Mega Ball, so they won a million dollars each.
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One ticket in Michigan and another in Tennessee had the Megaplier so whoever bought those tickets won up to $2 million each.
That’s not bad, but everyone has their eyes on the top prize and it’s hard not to imagine what one would do with all that money.
“Definitely retire and set up my family for their kids and their kids’ kids,” said Pat.
Tuesday’s record prize would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payment stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757 million. A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery payouts.
But winning that is far easier said than done. The odds of matching the numbers on all five white balls and the gold mega ball are 1 in 302.6 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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