The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever offered on Christmas Day will be on tap for Tuesday night’s drawing.
With no winners in Friday’s drawing, the jackpot climbed to an estimated $321 million. The jackpot refers to the annuity option, in which payments are made over 29 years. Most winners opt for the cash option, which would be $193.7 million.
Lottery officials said since the game began in 2002, drawings have landed on Dec. 25 just four times, the last time being in 2015. And while a Christmas Day drawing has not yet produced a jackpot winner, seven Mega Millions jackpots have been won in the drawings held days before and after Christmas, including the third largest jackpot in the history of the game – $648 million – on December 17, 2013.
The chance of matching all six numbers and winning the top prize is 1 in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The next drawing will be held Tuesday, Dec. 25, at 11 p.m. ET.
The last jackpot was won on Oct. 23, when a single ticket in South Carolina matched all six numbers. That winner has not yet come forward.
Source : Nbcnewyork
