DES MOINES, Iowa — A giant Mega Millions jackpot grew larger Wednesday to an estimated $640 million after another drawing without a winner, but a ticket sold at a Glendale mini market got pretty close.
No one won the lottery game’s top prize Tuesday night, making it 21 straight drawings without anyone matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be Friday night.
A ticket with five numbers — but missing the Mega number — was sold at Ace Liquor Jr. Market, 1740 Victory Blvd., in Glendale, the California Lottery announced. Another ticket with five numbers, also missing the Mega number, was sold at a gas station in Santa Maria. Each ticket is worth $245,984.
The $640 million jackpot comes less than two months after the largest lottery prize ever, a $2.04 billion Powerball prize that was won Nov. 8 in California. So far, that big winner hasn’t stepped forward to claim the prize.
The reason for all the big prizes is simple — long odds ensure there are few winners and the long streaks of lottery futility allow jackpots to grow ever larger week after week.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot is one in 302.6 million.
The advertised jackpot of $640 million is for a winner who opts to be paid with an annuity, doled out through annual payments over 29 years. Nearly all winners take the cash option, with for Friday’s drawing will be an estimated $328.3 million.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
City News Service contributed to this story.
Source: Orange County Register
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