What are the odds? Winning $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot is harder than you’d think

The Mega Millions jackpot has swelled to a whopping $1.02 billion after no tickets matched Tuesday’s drawing, making Friday’s drawing the nation’s third-largest lottery prize, according to Mega Millions officials.

And Sacramentans want a chance at victory as many continue to line grocery and convenience stores across the area to craft a $2 winning ticket. But your odds of actually winning are very slim — one in 302.5 million to be exact, according to Mega Millions’ website.

To win you must match the Mega Millions numbers or “hit it big” and match all five numbers, plus the Mega Millions number, the California Lottery wrote on its website.

To sum it up: You have far better chances of being fatally hit by a car or stung by a wasp, struck by lighting or even attacked by a shark than crafting the $1 billion winning ticket.

But people do win and a whole lot more try.

The last time the Mega Millions jackpot hit $1 billion was in Jan. 2021 when a winning ticket was identified in South Carolina. Before that a winning ticket was identified in Michigan in Oct. 2018 for $1.5 billion.

The next drawing is 8 p.m. Pacific time Friday. It will be the 29th drawing in this jackpot run since it began April 19. Here’s where to play in Sacramento.

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "What are the odds? Winning $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot is harder than you’d think."