Mega Millions lottery is likely to break all jackpot records after California joins the game in 2005.
Jackpots skyrocket as California joins Mega Millions lottery
Mega Millions lottery is likely to break all jackpot records after California joins the game in 2005.
The multistate lottery game will get numerous new players from California, US’s most populated and one of the most gambling-enthusiastic state. As a result, much bigger jackpots will loom with California in Mega Millions lottery: as its prize pool is nationwide, Mega Million’s players throughout the ountry will enjoy this influx of money and hugely increased lottery's prize pool.
"Jackpots will grow much faster and at much higher levels," said Mega Millions lottery's spokesperson at company’s headquarters in Baltimore.
California is the 12th state to join the Mega Millions lottery game, having chosen it over the other major multistate lottery games – Powerball, which is drawn in Iowa and played in 27 states, Washington, D.C. and Virgin Islands.
Mega Millions lottery is drawn in Atlanta, Georgia.
The lottery board of California voted 3-0 to choose Mega Millions over Powerball. The crucial advantage of Mega Millions for California was Mega Millions’ drawing dates, said state’s lottery spokeswoman. Mega Millions drawings are held at 11 p.m. EST on Tuesday and Friday. Powerball is drawn on Wednesday and Saturday, the same days California holds its Lotto drawings.
There have been three jackpots of more than $300 million in the US – two for Mega Millions, one for Powerball. A $400 million jackpot certainly is possible for Mega Millions with California on board.
The nation's record jackpot was $363 million shared by two Mega Millions winners in May 2000. Mega also had three winners of a $331 million jackpot in April 2002. Powerball's record provided the largest single winner with its $314.9 million jackpot won on Christmas Day 2002 by Jack Whittaker. See more:
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The odds of a single ticket winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 135,145,920.
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