WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Mega Millions players across the United States are sending the estimated jackpot for Friday night's drawing to 1.28 billion U.S. dollars, with a cash value of 747.2 million dollars.
It would be the second largest Mega Millions prize in the lottery game's 20-year history.
The current record jackpot for Mega Millions is 1.537 billion dollars, won on October 23, 2018. That winning ticket was sold in South Carolina, and it remains the world's largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket.
Four Mega Millions jackpots have been won to date in 2022, in California, New York, Minnesota, and Tennessee. The jackpots start at 20 million dollars and grow based on game sales and interest rates. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 303 million.
Mega Millions tickets are 2 dollars. In most jurisdictions, players can add the Megaplier for an additional 1 dollar to multiply their non-jackpot prizes.
The tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held each Tuesday and Friday. ■
