By Todd Northrop
Lottery players across the United States are buying their Mega Millions tickets in preparation for Friday's massive $201 million drawing.
The cash value stands at a staggering $128.3 million.
Friday's Mega Millions jackpot is the accumulation of 12 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner. The current jackpot run-up started on Feb. 4 as a $12 million grand prize.
Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs.
In the latest Mega Millions drawing that took place this past Tuesday night, there was no jackpot winner, but 18 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $250,000 prize: 1 from Arkansas, 3 from California, 3 from Illinois, 1 from Indiana, 1 from Minnesota, 1 from Nebraska, 2 from New Jersey, 1 from North Carolina, 1 from Ohio, 1 from Oregon, 1 from Pennsylvania, 1 from South Carolina, and 1 from Texas. (The "official" Mega Millions Web site has the Arkansas winner mis-identified as Arizona.)
The 3 California winners will each be awarded prizes of $168,654, because California awards all prizes in a pari-mutuel formula, which calculates the prize amount based on the number of tickets sold and the number of winners in each prize category.
Following the Tuesday drawing, the Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate was raised $29 million from its previous amount of $172 million. The cash value was raised by $19.4 million, from its previous amount of $108.9 million.
The next Mega Millions drawing will take place Friday evening at 11:00 pm EDT.
Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 41 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For a complete set of game descriptions, results, history, and all questions regarding Mega Millions, lottery players are encouraged to visit USA Mega (www.usamega.com), a Web site that caters to the Unites States's two multi-state lottery games, Powerball and Mega Millions.
The Mega Millions winning number will be published at USA Mega Friday night, minutes after the drawing takes place.
I am claiming the $201 Million Jackpot
Can I share with you?
TnTicketlosers... I am sure there will be 2 Jackpot winners me & you
i want to to roll to 400+ million, or break the 240m cash record.
i also want only 1 person to win it all!
2 more rolls and we have lotto fever out of control! like 380 million jackpot we just had months ago
3 more rolls we have our first half a freaking billion jackpot, chances of are getting this reality, 1% maybe, but i can dream it could roll to such amounts
I am going to win a Gazillion Dollars ................. and donate it right away to my bank account .................
I would surely be able to do some nice things for other people that I would seek out also !
Just so you know, spell check helped me spell "Gazillion" properly !
Thank you cowboy I see you are a generous man.I would help so many people,my boyfriend said he woulf take it because I would give it all away,not all of it.I would find a family in my town that had several children with a single parent,struggling,in need, and they would get my house to live in.I would pick 10 graduate kids in high school that couldnt go to college,they would go.My father raised us by himself,he would be laundry in a laundry mat at midnight if thats what it took,and go to work at 5 am.He raised 4,alone.So I would love to find a single man with children and give my home to him,Cheryl
I really wish this jackpot rolls over $400,000,000 million or I hit the JACKPOT :P
FRIDAY NIGHT 205 MILLION SOLD AT BP GAS STATION IN WASAU, WI on N. 20th Avenue.
Just curious, how much on average does everyone spend? At most for me is two dollars, one my pick and the other a computer pick.
Yes i have the winning ticket!!!
I pick 1 set of my own numbers and 9 quick picks.
Yeah $200 million will work.....A nice large jackpot but small enough to claim quietly with a trust with not much attention..... You guys will know if you see a guy wearing a LP hat at the Final Four!! Going to buy my tickets today...HOPE THE LUCK OF THE IRISH WILL BE WITH ME! Happy St. Patricks Day LP!
LOL....TnTicketlosers I am definitely a generous woman...
I usually play $2-$5 where DH always play $5.00....
I usually spend what ever I feel represents my best efforts to win which could be anywhere from $5 to $20. Before I retired I would partner up with co-workers to spend more but now I play alone.
I am ready.
PLAYED $5 QUICK PICKS.
I have to get milk tonite & will spend $1 on Mega Millions quickpick.
I don't have anymore than that to lose.
Oooooh, that's my favorite kind...
Maybe its just me but I find it odd how they allow the jackpot to keep increasing so the state and government can get more money-back when they allow a certain number from a certain geographical area which the lottery commission picks.has anyone else noticed how predetermined qps look.
Not really.
LOL....rdgrnr...you crack me up....welcome back
Thank you dallas, good to be here.
despite the larger jackpot, the comittment stays the same...
1 QP
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of tickets were sold today on account of it being St. Patrick's Day. Didn't find any four-leaf clovers so I didn't buy. I already bought 1 QP the day before however. May buy 1 more tomorrow.
Chris Shaw from Marshall,Missouri won $258.5 million on a $5.00 Quick Pick in Power Ball last April. If Chris could do it,I think I could do it too in Mega Millions!. I'll take 5 Quick Picks please!.
I bought a ticket on wed, but I need to go past Safeway tonight so I'll probably grab another!
I'm going to write my numbers on a piece of paper then burn it , maybe it will bring me good luck.
Each month I buy a "multiple-draw" ticket for the next 9 drawings.
It is a "quick-pick" ticket, is $1 per draw, is additional $1 "megaplier" per draw (so that is a total of $2 per draw, using the same "quick pick #s generated on the 'master' ticket).
By the way, can any of the "pros" here instruct me on how to determine of a "multiple-draw," quick-pick ticket has previously won the jackpot for either Megamillions or Powerball games?
I might try that too now that I lopped off my beard.
I don't wanna talk about the last time I lit the potbelly stove and my beard got in the way.
Everybody laughed but it wasn't funny.
It was a conflagration.
Got my tickets about 30 minutes before the cutoff, ended up having stuff come up tonight and almost didn't get out in time. I have faith though that I'm gonna hit tonight, good luck to everyone else, maybe we can have a split jackpot.
Rdgrnnr once again I am in the running for that cash. If I was you I wouldn't be burning my beard for luck that Meg Million is mine, however I will take the challenge to go bar hopping with you and the other Mi LP . Be prepare to check your logic at the door.Things can get pretty crazy here in sleepy GR.Ha!Ha!
It"s a group party!
For those of us who were hoping it would roll..........it did.......$244Million (yay!)
It's a date Louise, I got 3 numbers on my Quick Pick tonight and I was gonna spend it all on you but 28 bucks ain't even gonna cover the Greyhound to get up there so we'll half to wait til Tuesday when I hit the 244 million.
Then you know what?
Put on yo high heel sneakers
Comb that wig down on yo head
Put on yo high heel sneakers
Comb that wig down on yo head
Cuz we going out tonight baby
I'm pretty sho you gonna knock 'em dead
Put on yo red dress baby
Cuz we going out tonight
Put on yo red dress baby
Cuz we going out tonight
And I'm gonna sharpen up my razor baby
Case some cat might wanna fight