Winning a lottery jackpot may be a wish come true, but could also bring challenges, including legal questions, requests for money and a constant barrage of unwanted attention.
Residents in most of the United States are eligible to potentially get a huge payday ahead of the new year, as the Mega Millions jackpot has soared to more than a half-billion dollars.
The next drawing of the game will take place on Tuesday, and if anyone can match all five numbers and the Mega Ball, they could potentially walk away with a jackpot worth $565 million.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
How Do You Play?
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Each ticket costs $2 to play. Players also have the option to add a "Megaplier" option to their tickets. That addition costs $1, and can potentially multiply any non-jackpot prize a player wins.
To play, players are asked to pick five numbers between 1-and-70, and to choose one Mega Ball.
Players can either pick their own numbers, or can have the machine select numbers for them. Tickets must be purchased one hour or more before the drawing.
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How Do You Win Prizes?
There are nine different ways to win prizes in the game.
If you match all five numbers and the Mega Ball, you win the jackpot. The odds of doing so are around 1-in-302 million.
Here are the other eight prize levels. All of these prizes are subject to the “Megaplier,” which can increase the given prize.
Match five numbers: $1 million
Match four numbers and the Mega Ball: $10,000
Match four numbers: $500
Match three numbers and the Mega Ball: $200
Match three numbers: $10
Match two numbers and the Mega Ball: $10
Match one number and the Mega Ball: $4
Match the Mega Ball: $2
When Do Drawings Take Place?
The drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET.
