A mere two days after America’s seventh billion-dollar jackpot was won in the Powerball drawing, Mega Millions players competed Friday for the paltry sum of $720 million.
The winning numbers were 29-40-47-50-57, with the Mega Ball being 25.
Before Wednesday night’s Powerball win, it had been three months since anyone had won either of America’s two national lotteries. Mega Millions was last won April 18, and Powerball the day after.
If taken in a single massive payment, as most recent big lottery winners have chosen to do, Friday’s $720 million prize would be worth $369.6 million. The larger, advertised amount is what the other option — a 29-year annuity — would be worth over its lifetime.
Federal taxes would quickly take almost 40% of that amount, with state taxes a possibility on top of that.
The $2 Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of a winning Mega Millions ticket are 1 in 302.5 million.
