Over $100 million is available in British Columbia’s Lotto Max draw tonight, but that pales in comparison to what people in the United States are hoping to win.
The Mega Million jackpot down south has eclipse the $1 billion mark and people are lining up to get their last minute tickets before tonight’s draw.
BREAKING NEWS! Tonight's #MegaMillions has now hit $1 BILLION! https://t.co/3FBNFVBCme pic.twitter.com/1QqIAkmEVA
— Mega Millions (@MegaMillionsUS) October 19, 2018
It’s the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history behind the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016.
That sum was split among three winning tickets, which was still quite the payout for those winners.
Although this is only the second time a jackpot has been over $1 billion, it is a continuation of a trend of large jackpots.
That’s not a coincidence, as American lottery officials changed the odds in recent years to lessen the chance of winning a jackpot.
The theory was that bigger jackpots would create more buzz and attention, leading more people to buy tickets and, according to the Associated Press, it’s done exactly that.
Both the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries have reported increased sales since the change.
If a single winning ticket is drawn tonight, that lucky person won’t be collecting $1 billion thanks to taxes and the cost of taking the cash prize option, but it’ll still be a hefty sum for whoever wins.
