Mega Millions jackpot at $306M for winning numbers drawing
CHICAGO -- The Mega Millions jackpot now stands at an estimated $306 million, with a cash option of $191 million, for Friday night's drawing.
It could be a very happy holiday season if you are lucky. Right now, the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries have a combined jackpot of $700 million.
Tuesday night's Mega Millions numbers were:
10-12-20-38-41, Mega Ball: 25, Megaplier: 4
No ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night. The jackpot has been rolling since Oct. 13.
A ticket sold in Washington matched the five white balls and included the optional Megaplier, which means that player won the Match 5-second prize worth $4 million, officials said.
QUICK MEGA MILLIONS FACTS:
Current jackpot at $306 million; cash option of $191 million
Jackpots start at $40 million
Overall odds of winning the jackpot 1:305,575,350
Drawings are at 10 p.m. (CT) every Tuesday and Friday
Wednesday's Powerball numbers were:
3 - 9 - 16 - 56 - 60 Powerball: 3 Powerplay: 3x
No winning tickets were sold for Wednesday's Powerball drawing, which means the jackpot rolled to an estimated $384 million, which amounts to nearly $240 million with the cash option.
QUICK POWERBALL FACTS
Current jackpot at $384 million; cash option of $239.7 million
Jackpots start at $40 million
Overall odds of winning the jackpot 1:292,201,338
Drawings are at 9:59 p.m. (CT) every Wednesday and Saturday
The Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries currently have a combined jackpot of $690 million.
The record Mega Millions jackpot is $656 million - three tickets shared that jackpot on March 30, 2012. Just behind that is the $648 million jackpot split by two winners on December 17, 2013.
With slightly better odds than the Powerball game, it's rare that months pass without someone winning a Mega Millions jackpot.
There are several factors for the lack of a winner, including fewer players.
The odds of picking the correct numbers on five white balls and one yellow ball in the Mega Millions game are one in 259 million. For Powerball, it's one in roughly 292 million. Revamps to the country's two big lottery games in recent years decreased the odds of picking all the numbers needed for the top prize, though officials point out it has increased the number of winners who score smaller prizes that range from $1 million to $5 million, depending on the game.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
