$1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot on the line Friday night

July 29th, 2022

A lottery ticket vending machine in a convenience store, July 21, 2022, in Northbrook, Ill. Now that the Mega Millions lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion — only the fourth time a lottery game has reached such heights — plenty of people who rarely play the game are considering risking $2 or joining an office pool in hopes of an immense payoff. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

A $1.1 billion lottery prize will be on the line Friday night as numbers are drawn for the Mega Millions game.

The giant jackpot is the nation’s third-largest prize and is the result of 29 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all of the game’s six numbers. That last time someone hit the Mega Millions jackpot was April 15.

Before rushing out to spend $2 on a ticket, keep in mind that the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are a staggering 1 in 302.5 million.

The $1.1 billion prize is for players who get their winnings through an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners take the cash option, which for Friday’s drawing is an estimated $648.2 million.

The jackpot is the latest focus of lotteries that have been conducted in the U.S. and around the world for centuries.

If no one wins the Mega Millions jackpot Friday night, the prize will grow even larger ahead of the next drawing Tuesday night.