Yet another rollover has seen the Mega Millions jackpot grow to a staggering $508 million—the third largest jackpot in the history of the game! It’s making headlines and lottery tickets sales are going through the roof. It may not be biggest jackpot offered by a US lottery, but it’s currently ranking at number 7 in the top ten biggest lottery jackpots ever.
The most recent Mega Millions winner walked away with $157 million in March 2016 and a new jackpot has been rolling over ever since.
If this jackpot is won in the next draw the lucky winner would take home a still-staggering $357 million before tax provided they opt for the cash lump sum instead of the annuity. However you slice it, it’s still a substantial amount of money—enough to make even the wildest dreams come true.
The last time the Mega Millions jackpot made headlines was in 2013 with a massive $648 million grand prize. It’s taken some time for this US jackpot to reach these heights again but fans will agree it’s been worth the wait. Even though your chances of taking home the money are slim at odds of one in 250 million, someone has to win it eventually.
Of course there are those who hope that the jackpot will continue to roll over for a few more draws.
Since the US Powerball set a record with its unbelievable $1.5 billion jackpot in January 2016, everyone is eager to see another lottery jackpot reach these dizzying heights. It’s always been a more a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ another lottery game could break the record.
And online lottery tickets have a lot to do with the possibility of bigger jackpots becoming the norm rather than the exception. The Mega Millions lottery is currently offered in 44 US States, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands. But online ticket concierge services have allowed people from all over the world to get in on the action.
There’s every possibility that the winning numbers for the current Mega Millions jackpot could come from a ticket bought online. Although a foreign winner will have to pay more tax to the IRS than a US citizen, given the strength of the dollar against other currencies, it’s very tempting to play.
If you can’t wait to get your hands on a lottery ticket for the next Mega Millions draw, at least take a little time to pick your numbers. Too many people tend to rely on using a birthday or anniversary when it comes to filling in their play slips. But that usually eliminates half the numbers in the field from 1 – 75. Try to include a balance of low and high numbers to improve your chances.
And don’t rely on the Quick Pick option either. While it will generate a completely random selection of numbers, it’s rare that a combination supplied by the computer will result in a winning ticket. Although every number has an equal chance of being drawn, it’s best to eliminate combinations that have won before and pick a fresh set that you feel confident about.
However you choose to fill in your Mega Millions lottery ticket, it’s important that you get one before the next draw. The Mega Millions lottery is sitting on a historic jackpot and nobody knows when the bubble will finally burst. Don’t miss your shot to be the biggest Mega Millions winner ever. Now grab your tickets and hold on for the draw coming up on Tuesday. Good luck!
