MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Washington sales for biggest Mega Millions in history hit $15M in a week

Oct 22, 2018, 5:59 PM | Updated: Oct 23, 2018, 6:55 am

Mega Millions Lottery ticket...

(AP)

(AP)

Thanks to the massive $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot, Washington State Lottery sales are blistering hot.

RELATED: $1.6B Mega Millions prize due to simple math, some surprises

Director of the Washington State Lottery Marcus Glasper told KIRO Radio that on Sunday, tickets were selling at a rate of about $132,000 every 20 minutes. Typically, the Mega Millions lottery sells $40 million worth of tickets a year in Washington.

Carry a couple twos on the back of a napkin, and that tells you that on Sunday, tickets accrued about 86 times more money on a per-minute basis.

In just the last week, there have been upwards of $15 million worth of tickets sold in Washington.

By law, a portion of the money made by the Washington State Lottery is allocated toward education. More specifically, 80 percent goes into the Washington Opportunities Pathways account, funding scholarships for students going into college.

It also funds the State Need Grant, and is operated through the Washington Achievement Council.

A Mega Millions winner hasn’t been crowned since July 24. The odds of any single person matching all six numbers are estimated somewhere in the neighborhood of one in 302 million.

The next drawing will be announced Tuesday at 8 p.m. PDT. If a winner isn’t crowned, the next drawing will be on Friday. If a single winner is chosen, they stand to take home a $906 million lump sum after taxes are taken off of the top of the $1.6 billion jackpot.

MyNorthwest News

bellevue theft family assets...

James Lynch

3 family members charged with draining elderly Bellevue woman’s $1M in assets

The Bellevue Police Department arrested three relatives accused of stealing more than $1 million from an elderly woman after gaining power of attorney.

1 hour ago

cctv cameras katie wilson seattle shootings...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle business leaders, event organizers urge Mayor Katie Wilson to restore CCTV cameras after recent shootings

A coalition of Seattle business leaders is calling for the return of public safety cameras near some of the city's busiest gathering places.

1 hour ago

tacoma beer close food truck...

MyNorthwest Staff

Tacoma’s Beer Star closes after 8 years, displacing popular food truck

Tacoma taproom Beer Star closed on July 24 after eight years, a move that also displaced the Filipino-style fried chicken food truck The Chicken Supply.

2 hours ago

missing east wenatchee...

MyNorthwest Staff

Police searching for East Wenatchee woman missing since Friday

A 47-year-old woman has been missing from East Wenatchee since Friday, according to the East Wenatchee Police Department.

3 hours ago

shon barnes katie wilson seattle tax lien...

Luke Duecy

IRS tax lien, absences, policy disagreements: Full picture emerges in Police Chief Shon Barnes’ resignation

New information is emerging about factors that may have contributed to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's decision to seek the resignation of former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.

4 hours ago

moses lake cash hotel buried...

Jason Sutich

Moses Lake man steals $90K from hotel guest, buries cash in field

A Moses Lake man stole $90,000 from a hotel guest last week, and after his arrest, detectives had to dig through a field to recover the cash he'd buried.

4 hours ago

Washington sales for biggest Mega Millions in history hit $15M in a week