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It’s that time again. Mega Millions players are checking their tickets following Friday night’s drawing as the jackpot climbed to an estimated $414 million.
If someone beats the nearly-impossible odds and wins the lottery game’s top prize Friday, the estimated $414 million would only be distributed if they choose the annuity option, which distributes the prize over 29 annual payments.
Most lottery winners opt for the one-time, lump-sum cash payment – which was $224.2 million for Friday. The final amount taken home depends on state and federal taxes.
While a giant jackpot may be tempting, it’s important to note that the chances of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are incredibly slim. The odds stand at about one in 302 million.
Here’s what you need to know.
Mega Millions winning numbers for April 7, 2023
The winning numbers for the Friday night drawing were 12, 32, 49, 51, 66 Mega Ball: 21 and Megaplier was 2X.
What are my chances of winning Mega Millions?
The odds of taking home a Mega Millions jackpot are extremely slim.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350 to 1.
The odds to match all five white balls are 12,607,306 to 1.
“Imagine you write the letters to ‘Mega Millions’ on individual pieces of paper, mix them up, and let your cat randomly select letters. Your cat is five times more likely to correctly spell ‘Mega Millions’ than you are to win,” Matthew Kovach, an assistant professor of economics at Virginia Tech, previously told USA TODAY.
Kovach added that you are also more likely to be struck by lightning twice in your lifetime than win the lottery.
How do I play Mega Millions?
To enter play Mega Millions, players pick six numbers – or choose to have the lottery machine generate a random “Easy Pick” or “Quick Pick”:
Five numbers will go from 1 to 70 (white balls)
One number can be picked from 1 to 25 (gold Mega Ball)
If your ticket matches all six of the winning numbers from the drawing, you’ll win the jackpot. There are also smaller prizes depending on how many balls your numbers match.
The cost to play Mega Millions is $2 a ticket. You can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot).
Mega Millions can be played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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