Lottery fever hit a frenzied pace Tuesday as the nationwide Mega Millions jackpot grew to an estimated $667 million, its largest ever.
Here are the winning numbers drawn Tuesday night: 3, 45, 49, 61, 69; Mega Ball: 9; Megaplier: 5
The estimated cash payout, if taken in a lump sum, is $380 million.
The jackpot has steadily grown over the past few months, with no winner since July’s $543 million payout to a group of California bank workers. Tuesday’s sales surge helped it pass the previous record $656 million Mega Millions pot won on March 30, 2012 and shared by three winning tickets. The next drawing will be Friday.
It currently stands as the third-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, though even if there’s no winner from Tuesday’s drawing, the record is still a ways off — that would be the $1.586 billion Powerball payoff on Jan. 13, 2016.
Speaking of Powerball, its jackpot has reached an estimated $345 million after there was no winner on Saturday. The next drawing will take place at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday.
The odds of winning the big Mega Millions jackpot are predictably slim: about 1 in 303 million. To put that in perspective, you have a far better chance of being hit by a meteorite (1 in 1.6 million) or being attacked by a shark (1 in 3.7 million).
While financial experts say playing the lottery is a fool’s game, if you do happen to be the lucky winner, figure out a plan, quickly. And be careful — being a big-money winner won’t necessarily change your life for the better.
