Mega Millions jackpot now nation’s second-largest lottery prize in history, takes WA by storm
Jul 29, 2022, 4:22 PM
A man rides a bike past advertisements for the Mega Millions and Powerball lottery on July 29, 2022 in New York City. The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to an estimated $1.28 billion and would be the second-largest in the game's 20 year history. (Photo by John Smith/VIEWpress)
(Photo by John Smith/VIEWpress)
Lines are out the door at local convenience stores as people try for a chance at tonight’s one billion dollar Mega Millions Jackpot, the second-largest in history. The lottery numbers will be revealed at 8 p.m.
“I’d probably retire, even though I’m 28,” a man exiting a store, ticket in hand, told KIRO NewsRadio.
“I certainly would travel as much as possible,” another man said. “Europe, Copenhagen, I love that place, it’s great.”
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Several of those who spoke with KIRO Newsradio said they normally never buy lottery tickets.
If no one wins, the pot will keep growing ahead of next Tuesday’s drawing.
The Mega Millions record jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on October 23, 2018. That prize remains the world’s largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket.
Eight players — two in New Jersey and New York, and one in Florida, California, Illinois, and Ohio — successfully matched all five white numbers to win $1 million. Another Ohio player matched all five numbers and the multiplier to win $3 million.
The $1.28 billion prize is for winners who choose the annuity option, paid annually over 30 years. Most winners opt for the cash option, which for the next drawing Friday night is an estimated $648.2 million.
“I’m going to buy the biggest boat that would go through the docks from Lake Washington to the ocean,” another person said.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
