Cars pass a sign noting the Mega Millions jackpot outside Ted’s State Line Mobil station, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Methuen, Mass. Twenty-three consecutive drawings later with no grand prize winner named, the Mega Millions jackpot is now flirting with nearly $1 billion, making it one of the largest jackpots in lottery history. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery players whose numbers didn’t hit or who forgot to even buy a ticket will have another shot at a nearly $1 billion Mega Millions prize when a drawing is held Friday night.
The estimated $940 million jackpot has been growing for more than two months and now ranks as the sixth-largest in U.S history.
Even as the prize grows larger, the odds of winning remain the same at one in 302.6 million.
The $940 million jackpot is for winners who choose an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Winners usually want cash, which for Friday night’s drawing would be an estimated $483.5 million.
If there is no winner, the next drawing will be held Tuesday night.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
