Ticket buyers are flocking to snatch up their Mega Millions jackpot as the jackpot has climbed to a whopping $627 million ahead of Friday night’s drawing.
The estimated cash value of the prize is $309.1 million in a lump sum payment after taxes.
The drawing is at 11 p.m. ET. The winning numbers can be found on the Mega Millions website.
David Goldman, 66, of Allentown, Pennsylvania took an Uber on Friday morning to the nearby Giant grocery store in Bethlehem to purchase his five golden tickets.
The longtime journalist and avid poker player has been buying lotto tickets since he was in his 20s. The most he’s ever won was with a $60 Powerball ticket. He remembers buying it at a newspaper stand in Manhattan he would frequent.
“It was on the spur of the moment,” Goldman told Newsweek.
David Goldman, 66, of Allentown, Pennsylvania took an Uber on Friday morning to the nearby Giant grocery store in Bethlehem to purchase his five golden tickets.
David Goldman
He then wandered around the city after work trying to find a place to cash in his $60 lotto winnings. He luckily spotted a bar on Christopher Street with a lotto sign. He cashed in the ticket and then enjoyed a cold draft with his winnings.
Fast forward a few decades, Goldman now buys Mega Millions and Powerball tickets whenever the jackpot is over $100 million.
If he ever won the big jackpot, he would simply quit his job, retire, and travel.
“I don’t think I’d go too crazy,” Goldman told Newsweek.
Ticket buyers are flocking to snatch up their Mega Millions jackpot as the jackpot has climbed to a whopping $627 million ahead of Friday night’s drawing.
David Goldman
History of the Mega Millions Lottery
The Mega Millions lottery began in 1996 as “The Big Game,” a multi-state lottery in the U.S. Initially, it was available only in six states: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia. It was renamed “The Big Game Mega Millions” in 2002, and later shortened to “Mega Millions.”
Over the years, more states joined, and today, 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands participate in the game. The format and rules of the game have evolved, including changes in the number of balls, ticket price, and the addition of the Megaplier option, which multiplies non-jackpot winnings.
Drawings are held twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday nights, and jackpots start at $20 million. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are approximately 1 in 302.6 million, making it one of the most challenging lotteries to win but with the potential for massive payouts.
5 Biggest Mega Millions Jackpots Won
$1.537 Billion – October 23, 2018
- This is the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won and the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. It was won by a single ticket purchased in South Carolina. The winner chose to remain anonymous and opted for a lump-sum payout of $877.8 million.
$1.348 Billion – January 13, 2023
- The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot, won by a single ticket sold in Maine. The winner chose the lump-sum payment option and became the first person in Maine’s history to win the Mega Millions jackpot.
$1.337 Billion – July 29, 2022
- This jackpot was won by a single ticket sold in Illinois. It marked the third time a Mega Millions jackpot had crossed the billion-dollar mark. The winner chose the lump sum payment of approximately $780.5 million.
$1.05 Billion – January 22, 2021
- The fourth-largest jackpot was won by a group of players from Michigan who formed a lottery club called the “Wolverine FLL Club.” They opted for a lump-sum payment of $776.6 million.
$656 Million – March 30, 2012
- At the time, this was the largest jackpot in the history of Mega Millions. Three winning tickets were sold in Kansas, Illinois, and Maryland, and the prize was split among the winners. Each ticket holder received a cash option payout of around $158 million after taxes.
