A store’s screen shows the Mega Millions jackpot in New York City (New York state) on August 8, 2023.
The Mega Millions jackpot on Christmas Eve (December 24) in the US has exceeded $1 billion, marking the 7th time the prize has surpassed this number in Mega Millions history, according to the newspaper. The Hill.
The prize will be announced at 11:00 a.m. today, December 25 (Vietnam time). If someone wins the jackpot, this would be the largest Mega Millions December prize ever and mark the second time someone has won the jackpot on Christmas Eve.
If there really is a winner, the luckiest person on Christmas Eve in the US can receive the prize many times over 30 years, or receive a lump sum of 448.8 million USD.
However, in general, 2024 is an unlucky year for lottery players. The Mega Millions jackpot has only been claimed 3 times this year, which is the lowest number of times to win the lottery in a year since the prize was first held in the US.
It’s not surprising that the odds of winning are very small, with each person who buys a Mega Millions lottery ticket having about a 1 in 300 million (or specifically 302,575,350) chance of owning all the correct numbers.
To put it into perspective, the chances of a person being struck by lightning or attacked by a bear in Yellowstone National Park in the US are even higher.
The most recent Mega Millions jackpot was announced on September 10. To date, the company has organized 29 lottery draws but no one has won the jackpot.
However, no one can prevent the dream of winning the jackpot. Americans in 45 states, Washington DC and the Virgin Islands can try their luck for just 2 USD for a lottery ticket.
Players can choose 6 numbers from 2 different combinations: 5 numbers from 1-70 and 1 number from 1-25. They can buy lottery tickets no later than 15 minutes before the opening time.
The highest Mega Millions jackpot in US history came from a single lottery ticket, winning $1.58 billion in the drawing on the night of August 8, 2023.
