Mega Millions Jackpot Up for Grabs

Mega Millions fever has gripped the US as millions of $1 lottery tickets are being snapped up in advance of today’s super draw which has a world record jackpot of $640 million. The size of this jackpot has been growing since January and has been unclaimed 18 times up until now. The unprecedented demand for tickets this week has meant the jackpot has grown by over $150 million dollars in the last 3 days alone.

A total of 42 US states sell lottery tickets for the draw and should you be lucky enough to win you have the option of accepting a lump sum of around $400 million dollars or receiving the full $640 million jackpot in 26 annual payments. However, the odds on actually winning the lottery are a mere 176 million to 1.

The odds have not dampened peoples enthusiasm with Americans queuing round the block and buying $50 worth of tickets instead of the usual $2 or $3. Many people who have never played before are buying a ticket in the faint hope of scooping the big prize, using either a random selection of numbers or a mix of birthdays. Convenience stores are also benefiting from the booming sales as not only do they receive a percentage of each ticket sold customers are also buying other products while collecting their ticket. If you have your lucky ticket in hand then good luck to you all.