DES MOINES, Iowa — It was all over social media on Tuesday — before the last Mega Millions drawing — Virgin Islanders want a chance at a $1 billion payday.
Many people on St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island proudly announced that they had already bought their tickets and relished the opportunity to win.
Even more so today., because a $1.1 billion lottery prize will be on the line tonight as numbers are drawn for the Mega Millions game.
The giant jackpot is the nation’s third-largest prize and is the result of 29 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all of the game’s six numbers. That last time someone hit the Mega Millions jackpot was April 15.
Before rushing out to spend $2 on a ticket, keep in mind that the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are a staggering 1 in 302.5 million.
The $1.1 billion prize is for players who get their winnings through an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners take the cash option, which for Friday’s drawing is an estimated $648.2 million.
The jackpot is the latest focus of lotteries that have been conducted in the U.S. and around the world for centuries.
If no one wins the Mega Millions jackpot Friday night, the prize will grow even larger ahead of the next drawing Tuesday night.