Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - The Virginia Lottery's Mega Millions jackpot has gone up to an estimated $1.35 billion. The drawing takes place tonight, Aug. 4, and ticket sales are expected to be high today.
John Hagerty, Virginia Lottery Spokesperson, says Mega Millions ticket sales will total about $5.1 million on Friday.
"The day of the drawing is always the day with the strongest sales," says Hagerty. "There will be times today that we will be selling about 5,100 tickets per minute in Virginia."
Nobody won the jackpot in Tuesday's drawing, but there were several big winners. One ticket in Virginia won $40,000 and two tickets won $10,000.
If one ticket matches all six numbers in tonight's drawing, the winner will have a choice between two payout options.
"That person would have a very interesting choice," says Hagerty. "Either $1.35 billion in annual installments over thirty years, or a one-time cash option of almost $660 million before taxes."
