FILE - A customer fills out a Mega Millions lottery ticket at a convenience store in Northbrook, Ill., on Jan. 6, 2021. Lottery players will have a chance to ring in the New Year with a $640 million bonus in their bank account as a drawing is held Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 in the Mega Million game. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Republished December 30, 2022 - 10:36 AM
Original Publication Date December 30, 2022 - 6:31 AM
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot increased to $685 million ahead of Friday night's drawing, giving lottery players a chance to ring in the New Year with an even larger bonus in their bank account.
There have been 21 straight drawings without a jackpot winner thanks to stiff odds of one in 302.6 million. That has allowed the top prize to grow steadily larger, week after week.
The estimated $685 million prize is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for cash, which for Friday night's drawing would be an estimated $347.8 million.
The jackpot is the largest since a $2.04 billion Powerball prize was won Nov. 8 in California. A winner hasn't been announced for that record-setting payout.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
News from © The Associated Press, 2022