The Mega Millions jackpot in the United States has hit an eye-watering one-point-six billion dollars.
The draw happens Tuesday night, local time,.. and Americans are flocking to stores to snap up tickets,... hoping they get lucky.
For more on the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, Lee Seung-jae reports.
One in 302-point-five million.
That's the odds of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot,... and winning an estimated one-point-six billion U.S. dollars.
And the Powerball jackpot isn't too shabby either... at an estimated 620-million dollars.
With the Mega Millions draw taking place on Tuesday night and the Powerball on Thursday night,... the combined jackpot of two-point-two billion dollars is the highest in U.S. history.
Mega Million and Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states,... plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands,... and Americans are standing in line to buy their tickets,.. hoping to hit it big.
If you're lucky enough to win the Mega Millions jackpot,... how will you be paid?
If the winner chooses the lump sum payout,... the payout will be roughly 904 million dollars.
But with a minimum of 24-percent taken out in taxes,... the final payout will be around 684-million dollars,... minus state tax.
While the 684-million dollars is nowhere near the 1-point-6 billion dollars in the initial jackpot,... it's still a life-alerting amount of money that would instantly make you one of the richest people in the U.S.
So which state spends the most on lottery tickets?
According to research by Gallup,... Massachusetts tops the list with 763-dollars per person each year.
South Dakota is the lowest at a measly 44 dollars.
If you're in one of the 44 states and want a 100-percent chance of winning the Mega Millions,... you'll need to spend 600 million dollars on tickets.
Of course, if two or more winners are announced,... you'll have a huge loss on your hands.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
