The Mega Millions jackpot rises to  billion ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing

The Mega Millions jackpot rises to $1 billion ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing



CNN

One lucky Mega Millions player could receive a Christmas present worth $1 billion this year.

Mega Millions announced that the jackpot reached an estimated $1 billion ahead of Tuesday’s Christmas Eve drawing. That’s a cash prize of $448.8 million.

According to the lottery, it is only the seventh time in the game’s 20-year history that the jackpot has topped $1 billion.

“It’s so fun to think about the dream of that sum of money, especially around the holidays when there’s already a touch of magic in the air. Can you imagine going to bed on December 25th and then waking up, checking your ticket and realizing you’ve just won a $1 billion jackpot?” Said Joshua Johnston, Executive Director of Mega Millions Consortium, in a statement.

A Houston-area resident hit the latest jackpot, $810 million, after purchasing the winning ticket at a gas station convenience store in Sugar Land.

Tickets cost $2 and the chance of winning the jackpot is about 1 in 302.5 million.

Next year the chance of winning the jackpot will be a little more expensive. Starting in April 2025, tickets will cost $5 per game, Mega Millions announced this October, along with a number of “improvements” including improved odds, more frequent and larger jackpots, and larger starting jackpots.

According to Mega Millions, this is the second time the lottery has increased its ticket price since the game began in 2002.

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with drawings taking place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia.

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