$1.25 billion up for grabs in Friday drawing
The Mega Millions jackpot swelled to an estimated $1.25 billion for Friday night's drawing after nobody matched all six numbers in Tuesday night's drawing.
Tuesday night the numbers 8, 24, 30, 45, and 61 were drawn with the Mega Ball coming in at 12 and the Megaplier at 4.
One person in Pennsylvania won $5 million Tuesday night by matching the first five numbers with the Megaplier. Four others won $1 million each by picking the five correct numbers with no Megaplier.
The game, then called 'The Big Game', began in 1996 with Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia as the participating states.
Today, Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Alabama is not one of the states participating.
To play, pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and a Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Each ticket is $2. Players can add an extra $1 for the Megaplier that increases the non-jackpot winnings.
The Mega Millions jackpot has continued to grow since the last winner on April 18.
Friday night's drawing will be held at 10 p.m. central time, but the cutoff to play is 9:30 p.m.
