Mega Millions jackpot reaches $940M. Here’s how many tickets IL players have purchased
If someone lucks out and hits the Mega Millions jackpot Friday, they could win $940 million, or $483.5 million in cash, according to current estimates.
Illinois lottery players have hedged their bets in the drawing, with approximately 750,000 tickets sold so far in the Land of Lincoln as of Wednesday night, according to Illinois State Lottery spokesperson Meghan Powers.
Those who plan to purchase a ticket for the Mega Millions drawing should do so before 9:45 p.m. Friday. The drawing will take place at 10 p.m.
Two Illinois individuals hit the $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot in September after 29 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner. The winners agreed to split the prize if they won and opted for the $780.5 million lump sum.
The September Mega Millions jackpot ticket was purchased from a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines. In addition to that big win, nine other Illinois players won at least $1 million from Mega Millions drawings and seven more won at least $1 million from the Powerball in 2022.
With Mega Millions and Powerball sales combined, Illinois lottery players purchased nearly 7.24 million winning tickets last year, claiming more than $1.4 billion in prizes, according to lottery officials.
The Lucky Mart, located at 2900 W. 87th St. in Chicago, sold the most winning tickets in 2022, the Illinois Lottery reports. Since October, the store has sold approximately 1,003 winning Mega Millions tickets where the winner has claimed their prize.
The highest prize won in this Mega Millions roll for a ticket bought from The Lucky Mart was $500, Powers said in an email to the News-Democrat. A Lucky Day Lotto ticket worth $1 million was purchased from the store in September.
A $4 million-winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased from a Circle K in Murphysboro in November.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 each, and players can add an optional Megaplier for $1 for the chance to multiply non-jackpot winnings.
If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 3:45 PM.
