A sign displaying the current Mega Millions jackpot is shown at a Financial District liquor store, Dec. 12, 2013, in San Francisco.
Someone could get very rich on Friday.
The Mega Millions jackpot, now estimated at $400 million, is the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, NBC News reports. Though the chances of hitting it big are lower than the average American’s chances of being struck by lightning (about 1 in 700,000) or dying in a plane crash (about 1 in 1,000,000), the lucky winner, or winners, can possibly walk away with a $216 million payout before taxes.
Lottery officials say this huge pot is a result of the overhaul of the Mega Millions system in October that lowered the odds of winning from 1 in 176 million to 1 in 259 million. Now, five of the six numbers needed to win come from an expanded range and the Mega Millions ball number range was lowered.
Tickets cost $1 and are sold in 43 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
[NBC News]