The Mega Millions jackpot is now $1 billion. What to know before you buy a ticket
It’s official, the U.S. Mega Millions jackpot has reached a whopping $1,000,000,000 dollars. Friday night’s drawing is here, just a few days after another lottery had a huge amount of money won… A single Powerball ticket purchased in Maryland hit $731.1 Million which was ranked as the sixth-largest prize ever.
“We know that players love big jackpots, and when the numbers are this big, it becomes a national phenomenon,” said Gordon Medenica, Maryland lottery director and lead director of Mega Millions. “Everyone wants to dream about what they’d do if they won.”
Experts are saying this might be your best chance at winning, but why?
Before you head out and buy a ticket there are a few things you should know beforehand. Of course, the odds are stacked against you in regards to winning. However, this shouldn't mean that you give up on the idea. One lottery ticket costs $2 in most parts of the country, reasonably if you wanted to throw in $5 for two picks it would increase your odds from one in 14 million to two in 14 million.
This might not sound like a lot to you. The only other way to increase your chances at winning would obviously be, well, buy another ticket right? Studies have found that by picking your own numbers you can increase your chance of winning IF you don’t cluster your number choices. This was something that I personally found hard not to do, it seemed that all of my numbers were above the ’20s and even into the high 50’s. As an amateur, it was rather hard to scatter my numbers correctly to increase the chance of winning.
All this to say.. if you really want to win then act like it and listen to what the pros have to say! Good luck out there!
