The Mega Millions jackpot has hit an astounding high at $180 million dollars.
However, the odds are not in your favor. As the number goes up, so do lottery ticket sales. The Mega Millions jackpot has not had a winner for 15 straight drawings and that fact has garnered a lot of attention, even from some who don’t usually play the lottery.
This the second longest streak with no winner in 2014. The first started back in December of 2013 and ran 21 drawings before giving away a $400 million jackpot on March 18th, 2014.
If no one wins this $180 million Mega Millions jackpot, the count is expected to roll to $190 million.
Wow.
Was it you? Probably not.
So, what are the chances of you winning the $180 million Mega Millions jackpot?
There are reportedly 258,890,850 possible combinations, so the chances of hitting all six numbers are not great, but it’s worth a try to some.
ICYMI: Winning $1 million Mega Millions ticket sold in Grand Rapids, and winner hasn't claimed prize yet http://t.co/OceazJohvh
— Grand Rapids Press (@GRPress) August 22, 2014
What happens is this: Tickets are bought for $1 a piece. You choose five numbers from among your lucky ones, your kids’ birthdates, your address, your anniversary, or wherever else you may pull them from. You can also have the machine do a quick pick, where it randomly picks numbers for you.
Then you choose a megaball number between one and 15. After that, you cross your fingers.
Because…
If you win the $180 million, you can choose the annuity option which will pay out the entire amount (minus Uncle Sam’s cut) annually over 30 years. If you do the cash option, you get a lump sum of $107 million.
If you only match the first five numbers and not that mega ball, you still get to pocket a pretty $1 million. Not too bad! I wouldn’t complain.
This begs the eternal question:
What would you do with $180 million dollars if you won the Mega Millions jackpot?