The game’s top prize has been climbing for 37 weeks through twice-weekly drawings with no ticket matching all six numbers pulled.
At some point, whether Friday night or down the road, someone is going to win the Mega Millions jackpot. It just probably won’t be you. With the odds stacked against players matching all six numbers needed to hit the mother lode, the lottery game’s top prize has reached an estimated $970 million for Friday night’s drawing. The cash option — which most winners choose over an annuity — is $716.3 million (pre-tax). The jackpot also is the third-largest in U.S. lottery history. Friday night’s drawing is coming just a few days after another lottery game had a huge amount of money won: A ticket purchased in Maryland hit Powerball’s $731.1 million jackpot ($546.8 million cash option), which ranks as the sixth-largest prize ever.
