Mega Millions Jackpot Hits Historic $830M: Where To Buy A Ticket In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — The Mega Million lottery jackpot has reached a historic $830 million, larger than all but three other jackpots in the history of American lotteries.

Pennsylvania is one of 45 states that have authorized the game, and local residents who flocked to purchase a ticket in recent days will surely tune in at 11 p.m. Tuesday for the drawing. In Pennsylvania the cutoff time is 9:59 p.m.

Tickets are still available at gas stations, convenience stores and supermarkets in states where the game is played, including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only five U.S. states — Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah — haven't authorized the Mega Millions game.

Pennsylvania has some experience winning massive jackpots of this kind. Just a year ago, a $516 million ticket was sold to individuals in Bucks County who chose to remain anonymous.

Retailers across the country reported brisk business at lottery ticket counters leading up to Tuesday’s drawing. The jackpot has been growing since April, the last time it was claimed. It was $20 million then. So far this year, Mega Millions jackpots have been won in California, New York, Minnesota and Tennessee.

Chances of winning aren’t great — 1 in 302.5 million. The odds of winning one of the smaller prizes, including the $1 million to players who match five regular numbers but miss the Mega Ball, are better, but still only 1 in 12.6 million. For perspective, the odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Robert Maury, who bought a ticket from a grocery store in Pittsburgh Monday, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it’s more likely that he would be “struck by lightning 100 times” than win the big jackpot.

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Maury described himself as an infrequent lottery player who bought the ticket as “a treat.” If he wins, he told the Post-Gazette, he’ll start a foundation and give the money to people who need it more than he does.

“It would mean a lot. I would buy a house, pay my bills, buy a car, buy another car, help my mama out, help my granny out, take care of my son,” Azhia Bowen told news station WJBK in Detroit. "That's a lot of money."

Tickets cost $2 per play, and there are nine total ways to win a prize. To play:

Pick five numbers from 1 to 70, and one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. To have the terminal pick the numbers for you, choose Easy Pick or Quick Pick. To win the jackpot, you must match all six winning numbers in the drawing.

Winners can take an annuity — an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments, each of which increases 5 percent in value over the previous payment — or take a one-time, lump sum payment. With an $830 million jackpot, that’s $$487.9 million.

Though large, the jackpot is dwarfed by the three largest lottery prizes in history.

Players from California, Florida and Tennessee shared the largest lottery jackpot in history when they won $1.586 billion Powerball prize on Jan. 13, 2016.

A single player from South Carolina won the $1.537 billion Mega Million ticket on Oct. 23, 2018, and a Michigan player claimed the same game’s $1.05 billion ticket on Jan. 22, 2021.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story