With the largest Mega Millions jackpot in history on the line, you can bet that tons of people will be buying a $2 ticket looking to get in on the action.
The Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated $1 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing. Previously, the largest jackpot ever won in the multi-state lottery was a $656 million pot shared by three winning tickets back in March 2012.
The current jackpot’s run began all the way back in July, when 11 Wells Fargo WFC, -0.13% employees split a winning ticket. Despite growing in size for months now, most people probably only started paying attention to this lottery in the last couple weeks, an analysis by personal finance website ValuePenguin found in July.
Also see: Mega Millions jackpot needs to hit $1 billion before more wealthy people decide to play
Interest in the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries really starts to pick up once they cross the $300 million to $350 million mark. A $350 million Mega Millions drawing will see a 72% jump in ticket sales.
But people’s attention spans can be fleeting. A $450 million Mega Millions jackpot leads to a 32% drop in ticket sales.
So where does the current lottery likely stand? According to ValuePenguin, a $550 million drawing will prompt ticket sales to skyrocket 294%. Given that the current pot is nearly double that amount, it’s safe to say plenty of people are playing.
As for where they’re playing, there’s a strong chance they hail from New Jersey or Wyoming. These states had the highest concentrations of players for the largest jackpot in U.S. history ($1.5 billion in 2016). In terms of which states buy the most lottery tickets overall, that honor goes to California and Florida.
