Mega Millions rises to record $1.6 billion jackpot

[bsnub]

If you're checking your numbers Saturday morning for the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, you're not a grand prize winner. But neither was anyone else.

The next Mega Millions jackpot will be an estimated $1.6 billion -- the highest total in U.S. lottery history. The cash payout is $904 million.

"We're in unchartered territory," Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions lead director and the director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, told "Good Morning America" Saturday. "

The drawing will be Tuesday at 11 p.m.

And the record jackpot can increase between now and then.

"Hold on to your hats!" Medenica said. "It could go up even further."

When asked if the grand prize could hit a shocking $2 billion, Medenica said "anything's possible."

"I don't want to jinx it," he added.

The numbers drawn Friday night for the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history were 15-23-53-65-70 and a Mega Ball of 7. A single winner taking the cash lump sum would have received about $565.6 million.

There were a number of smaller winners in Friday's drawing, including 15 people who won at least $1 million for matching each white ball. New York had the highest number of second-prize winners with four. One ticket in Texas was worth $2 million for matching all five white balls and doubling the total with the Megaplier.

The previous record for a lottery drawing was a $1.59 billion windfall for the Powerball in January 2016. That jackpot was split three ways.

The $1 billion prize has attracted buyers to rush to get the tickets before Friday night's drawing.

At Penn Station in New York, where players had bought winning tickets in the past, there were more hopefuls vying for the $1 billion.

"That's the winning ticket, and if I do win, this is the last time you will ever see me in Penn Station. Thank you and have a good day," Phil Sparacino, a lottery player, told The Associated Press.

Even those who could not get the tickets themselves are asking friends and family to get tickets for them.

"It's really cool. I'm actually getting this for my mom. So my mom just called me to get the lottery for her. So yeah, I hope we win. We'll see," Alexa Sibayan told the AP while on line waiting to buy tickets.

Some people already have a plan for the winning prize, too.

"We hope we win. We hope a lot of people win but ... if we do win, we want to give a lot of it away to charity," Mel Kleinman told the AP.

Kirit Prajapati, who sells lottery tickets at a Carlton Cards shop in Penn Station, said the store has been packed with people hoping to win. "It's busy, you see? It's madness going on," Prajapati told the AP.

Medenica said the jackpot has "become a national phenomenon because it's a positive story."

"It's the dream that everyone has," he said. "Everyone asks themselves, 'What would I do?"

Meanwhile, the jackpot for Powerball skyrocketed to almost half a billion after no one won Wednesday.

The winning numbers for Powerball, a comparatively meager sum of just $345 million, were 3-57-64-68-69 and a Powerball of 15. One person in Florida won $2 million, while tickets in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Kentucky each were worth $1 million.

The pot rises to $430 million for Saturday's drawing. The cash payout is $248 million.

The next drawing for Powerball is Saturday.

But the record numbers are being left to the Mega Millions jackpot, set to be drawn on Friday. The projected prize would be the second-largest payout in U.S. lottery history.

The only lottery payout in history that was larger than Friday's $1 billion total was a Powerball drawing for $1.59 billion in January 2016. Three winners split that total.

The Mega Millions jackpot has skyrocketed since the July 24 drawing when a group of 11 coworkers in Santa Clara County, California, shared a $543 million jackpot, the game's fourth-largest.

More than $1.4 billion in combined potential prize money was up for grabs over the weekend, with Saturday night's Powerball prize estimated at $430 million -- or a one-time cash prize of nearly $248 million and Friday's Mega Millions prize at $1 billion.

https://abc11.com/no-winner-means-me...ckpot/4489307/

[aging one]

The wife called both daughters today. The message was simple. "Buy Lotto tickets for me I feel lucky". Here we go folks..

[hick]

I'm in

Fugg it

what's a Few bucks? It's fun to play the biggies once in awhile.

[uncle junior]

Famous Lottery Winner Says 'He Should’ve Torn Ticket Up'


On August 5, 2003, less than a year after Whittaker won the lottery, thieves broke into his car while it was parked at a strip club in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. The thieves made away with $545,000 in cash that Whittaker carried around in a suitcase. When asked why he would carry that much money around with him, Whittaker responded, "because I can". In another incident, two employees at the club, the general manager and a dancer-manager who were romantically linked, were arrested and charged with a plot to put drugs in Whittaker's drinks and then rob him.

On January 25, 2004, thieves once again broke into his car, this time making off with an estimated $200,000 in cash, but this was later recovered.

On September 16, 2004, Jesse Tribble, an 18-year-old on-and-off-again boyfriend of Whittaker's granddaughter Brandi Bragg, was found dead in Whittaker's home in Teays Valley, West Virginia. A coroner's report indicated that he had died from overdosing on a combination of oxycodone, methadone, meperidine, and cocaine.

On December 20, 2004, Brandi Bragg, 17, was found dead on the property of a male friend after being reported missing on December 9. Her body was wrapped in a plastic tarpaulin and dumped behind a junked van. Cocaine and methadone were found in her system, but the cause of death was listed as "undetermined." No one was charged with a crime.

At an October 11, 2005 hearing related to his January 2003 DUI, a visibly shaken Whittaker lashed out at local law enforcement agencies for focusing on his troubles while failing to arrest anyone in relation to his granddaughter's death, saying "Go after whoever killed my granddaughter with as much zealous [sic] as these butt holes are trying to convict me of something I didn't do."
Whittaker was later sued by Caesars Atlantic City casino for bouncing $1.5 million worth of checks to cover gambling losses. He counter sued, claiming that his losses were supposed to be credited due to a slot machine he developed and that they, in fact, owed him money.

On January 11, 2007, a legal complaint against Whittaker alleged he claimed that on September 11, 2006, thieves took all of his money. The thieves, according to the account, went to 12 branches of the City National Bank and cashed 12 checks. The incident came to light because Whittaker had not been paying money to a woman who had previously sued him. Kitti French filed the complaint earlier in the week, requesting court costs and money from Whittaker.

On July 5, 2009, Ginger Whittaker Bragg, Whittaker's 42-year-old daughter and the mother of Brandi Bragg, was found dead in Daniels, West Virginia. No explanation was given, but officials did not suspect foul play.

On December 2, 2016, around 7:00 a.m. Whittaker's home in Bland County, Virginia was reported to be on fire. When firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed, and the house was deemed a total loss. Whittaker's wife was home when the fire broke out, but she was able to make it out safely and no injuries were reported. Whittaker stated that the home was not insured.

[bsnub]

^ Ya that guy really got fucked but he was also an idiot. On two occasions he left $200K and $500k in his car and it got stolen. That is epic stupidity.

[uncle junior]

he was also an idiot.

i think this was the real problem and the money just made things worse

[uncle junior]

^B.F.D.

[Dragonfly]

here is your chance bsnob, you could buy a Telsa and move out of your mum basement

[SoiNongbua]

I'm going to have my best friend in California buy $100 worth of quick pick tickets for me. But...even though I trust him implicitly...if I got the winning ticket, would I actually get it? Hmmm. I think he'd insist on going 50/50, and that would be okay. But if he cashed in 900 million, no way I wouldn't find out. Of course, finding him might be a bit of a problem....

[SoiNongbua]

In California, MEGA Millions prize amounts are pari-mutuel, will vary depending on ticket sales and number of winners and will differ from the fixed prizes shown on the Mega Millions website.

True 'dat, but it would still be a big pile of money.

[Agent_Smith]

I'm good for the next 8 drawings, but really this near record jackpot wasn't a factor in buying a ticket. I'll buy whatever the jackpot is, because it's life-changing money no matter what.

I just happened to be in Arizona last week, and I'll purchase 10 drawings whenever I get over to a state that sells lottery tickets. Probably spend less than $80 a year on lottery, fun to imagine the possibilities.

If I don't win, does that mean God doesn't love me?

[Maanaam]

Ya that guy really got fucked but he was also an idiot. On two occasions he left $200K and $500k in his car and it got stolen. That is epic stupidity.

He was obviously all class.