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By the time of the next Mega Millions Lottery draw tonight, 5th July, it's been estimated that the jackpot prize will have risen to around $449 million. That's the third largest prize in the history of Mega Millions, and at this level, public interest is likely to mean a big increase in the number of tickets sold, whether at retailers in the participating states, or through online services like LottoBooking, LottoExpress and Play USA Lotteries.
How To Play Mega Millions
The Mega Millions lottery is a straightforward '5 + 1' draw where the aim is to match 5 main numbers from a group of 75, plus a single number from a separate group of 15. Tickets cost $1 per play, although for an extra $1 there is an optional Megaplier, which multiplies the value of non-jackpot prizes by anything between 2x and 5x.
With odds of 258,890,850 of picking all the right numbers, it's common for the jackpot to roll over. It has a starting value of $15 million and is guaranteed to go up by $5 million each time it remains unclaimed, but once the prize reaches these huge values, public interest can bring about significant increases with each draw. Last Friday it stood at $415 million, which will make this a rise of some $34 million in just a few days.
No-one has scooped the jackpot since March 8th, when a player from Seattle, Washington claimed $157 million, which was taken as a one-time cash payment of $102.8 million. The other option for jackpot winners is to take a lump sum followed by annual instalments over 29 years.
Time Of The Next Draw
At 11 p.m. EST tonight, Tuesday 5th July, the next draw takes place in Tallahassee, Florida. Anyone using online services should check the time difference, as the cut-off for purchasing tickets is one hour before the draw. This equates to 3 a.m. Wednesday morning for the U.K., or 4 a.m. across Europe.
