DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The winning numbers have been drawn for the record $1.6 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot, but it isn't immediately clear if there's a winner.The numbers drawn in Tuesday night's drawing are 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 5.The estimated jackpot is the largest lottery prize ever . The jackpot has been growing since July, when a group of California office workers won $543 million.If no tickets match the Tuesday numbers, lottery officials say the jackpot is expected to grow to an estimated $2 billion for Friday's drawing.It costs $2 to play the game, but the odds of matching all six numbers and taking home the grand prize is a dismal 1 in 302.5 million.Mega Millions is played in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 18 PHOTOS Lottery winners throughout history See Gallery Lottery winners throughout history Great Grandmother Elizabeth Jones, aged 71, from Warrington in Cheshire who won #8,355,262 (US$13,368,400) … [Read more...] about Here are the numbers for record $1.6B Mega Millions jackpot
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Hoping to cash in on the Mega Millions jackpot? Here’s why winning isn’t always a good thing
Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. SUBSCRIBE Winning the $970 million Mega Millions jackpot may sound like a dream come true. But if you purchase a lottery ticket, buyer beware: Coming into that much wealth can easily become a nightmare. "You assume money makes you happy or takes care of all your problems. But money doesn't do that," warned financial planner Jim Shagawat, president of Windfall Wealth Advisors in Paramus, New Jersey, a firm that specializes in helping people navigate large sums of money they have received. "And it can cause friction with family and friends." Friday's Mega Millions drawing is the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. With odds at one in 302.6 million, chances of winning are slim — but if you do somehow manage to correctly pick all six numbers and claim that jaw-dropping prize, you can bet your life will be different, although not necessarily … [Read more...] about Hoping to cash in on the Mega Millions jackpot? Here’s why winning isn’t always a good thing
How to win the lottery, according to man who hacked system, won 14 times, retired on tropical island
You might want to know how to win the lottery— especially as theMega Millions jackpot reaches a record-high $868 million.Stefan Mandel, a Romanian-Australian economist, developed a formula that's allowed him to win the lottery 14 times.It's a six-step process designed to hack the system.READ MORE: We did the math to see if you should buy a ticket.You're four times as likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery.Those odds apparently don't apply to Stefan Mandel, a Romanian-Australian economist who's won the lottery 14 times, The Hustle reported in a feature story about the mathematician.Mandel's first two wins were in his native Romania, where he was trying to earn enough money to get his family out of the then communist country. His salary was just $88 a month.He moved to Israel before settling down in Australia, where he won the lottery an additional 12 times.Plenty of lottery winners end up blowing it all— spending it … [Read more...] about How to win the lottery, according to man who hacked system, won 14 times, retired on tropical island
Lottery math: Poorest Americans risk the most in hopes of striking it rich
Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on government-run lotteries each year. But as income inequality widens, low-earning households spend a disproportionate amount of money on lottery tickets, according to a new study. The lowest-income households in the U.S. spend an average of $412 each year on lottery tickets -- nearly quadruple the $105 a year spent by the highest-earning households, according to a study released on Wednesday by Bankrate.com. And almost 3 in 10 Americans in the lowest income bracket play the lottery once a week, compared with nearly 2 in 10 who earn more than that. The Bankrate.com study was conducted by research firm GfK, which surveyed a national sample of 1,000 American adults on Aug. 17-19."Lotteries have become an alternative mechanism of social mobility -- a way of achieving financial success in an economy that's increasingly bereft of those opportunities," said Jonathan Cohen, a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia who's completing his … [Read more...] about Lottery math: Poorest Americans risk the most in hopes of striking it rich
Mega Millions: San Jose prize grows by $20 million; seller doesn’t get $2.6 million
Kewal Sachdev, left, shakes Russ Lopez’s hand while receiving a symbolic check for $1 million outside his store at Ernies Liquors in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Sachdev sold the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket of $543 million. (Maritza Cruz/ Bay Area News Group) Kewal Sachdev speaks during a press conference outside his store at Ernies Liquors in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Sachdev will be taking home $1 million for selling the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket of $543 million. (Maritza Cruz/ Bay Area News Group) Sound The gallery will resume inseconds California Lottery officials said a winning Mega Millions ticket for the $543 million jackpot was sold at Ernie's Liquors on South White Road in San Jose. (Google Maps) Imelda Rillera of McLean, Virginia, talks outside Ernies Liquors in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Rillera didn’t win the big prize, but won some money … [Read more...] about Mega Millions: San Jose prize grows by $20 million; seller doesn’t get $2.6 million