What Are the Chances That the $1.6 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot Will Be Won On Tuesday?

Mega Millions will set a new world record for the largest lottery jackpot in history after rolling over again on Friday night. The top prize for the next draw on Tuesday has initially been estimated at an astonishing $1.6 billion, but how many tickets might be sold and what are the chances of the jackpot finally being won?

Mega Millions’ First $1 Billion Jackpot Rolls Over

Friday’s draw marked the first time that a jackpot of $1 billion had been offered in Mega Millions. The winning numbers were 15, 23, 53, 65 and 70, with a Mega Ball of 7. There were 15 ticket holders across the United States who matched five main numbers to land the second-tier prize, but the jackpot remained just out of reach. Go to the Mega Millions Numbers page to find out more information, including a full prize breakdown.

The top prize had been worth $667 million in the previous draw, and lottery officials revealed after Friday night that it had taken approximately 280 million tickets to push the jackpot up to its $1 billion value. Gordon Medenica, the lead director of the Mega Millions Group and director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, said that about 57 percent of the possible number combination had been entered into the draw.

“That means the odds were [a winning ticket] would have gotten picked, but it didn’t happen. This is really uncharted territory for is,” said Medenica, who added that it was an ‘extremely pleasant surprise’ that there had not been a winner.

Shoppers Queueing All Day

Based on sales projections, around 75 percent of the number combinations will be entered into the next draw on Tuesday. The estimated jackpot suggests that almost twice as many tickets will be sold as there were for the last draw, so there could be more than 500 million lines played.

A mad dash for tickets could even push the jackpot beyond $1.6 billion before the draw takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, at 11:00pm Eastern Time, and the record jackpot already appears to have sparked a frenzy of tickets over the weekend.

Workers at a Chevron store near Los Angeles International Airport told reporters that there had been a queue for Mega Millions tickets from 6am to 7pm, while a nearby Shell station sold so many entries that they ran out of playslips at around 2pm on Sunday and had to call for more.

A 7-Eleven store in Culver City said that someone bought a ticket almost every minute in the hour leading up to Friday’s cut-off time, while one shopper had recently come in and purchased $452 worth of tickets. Russ Lopez, spokesman for the California Lottery, said tickets were going ‘very, very quickly’ on Saturday.

Retailers have also said that a lot of players are taking part for the first time. Tonya Jimenez, assistant manager at Beavers Market in Fort Collins, Colorado, said: “We tell them how to play it. They don’t know what to do. We’re doing a lot of explaining.”

Officials Expect A Winner on Tuesday

To play Mega Millions, you need to select five main numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball between 1 and 25. There are nine different ways to win prizes, but you must match all the numbers drawn to land the jackpot.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302 million, but with so many more tickets than usual being sold this week there is more chance of it being won. Carole Gentry, spokeswoman for Maryland Lottery and Gaming, said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets hit. I’d be more surprised if it doesn’t get hit.”

Officials have not been surprised by the rate of sales, after there was a similar explosion in the popularity of Powerball ahead of the $1.58 billion draw in January 2016. Medenica said: “It was two and a half years ago that Powerball had this kind of run. I think when these things are separated by years, as they seem to be, they take on a life of their own. It just becomes what everybody’s talking about. . . . Everybody goes out and buys their tickets, has their dream.”

Whatever your dream would be for $1.6 billion, you can give yourself a chance of winning by joining one of the queues in a participating location, or choosing your numbers online. It is not expected to roll over for too much longer, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to take part in a moment of history!