$1.15 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot Friday: How To Play In IL

ILLINOIS — One lucky Mega Millions player in Illinois could ring in the new year $1.15 billion richer as the estimated jackpot rises for Friday's drawing.

If a player chooses all the correct numbers, the $1.15 billion prize would be the fifth-largest jackpot in the history of the game, according to the Mega Millions site.

Mega Millions numbers are drawn twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 p.m. Central Time. To be eligible for the jackpot, Illinois players must buy their tickets by 9:45 p.m. Central Time Friday under state lottery law.

Jackpots may be paid out over a 30-year annuity, but most people take a lump sum cash payment, which would be $516.1 million for Friday's drawing. It's important to remember that winnings are subject to federal taxes and, often, state taxes, as well.

Tickets cost $2. For another $1, players can buy the Megaplier option, which increases their winnings up to $5 million.

Players select 5 numbers between 1 and 70, and a Mega Ball number between 1 and 25. You can also have the lottery computer randomly select the numbers.

There are thousands of retailers in Illinois that sell Mega Millions and other lottery tickets, including:

• 7-Eleven
• CVS
• BP
• Shell
• Exxon
• Speedway
• Walmart

Many restaurants, bars and other businesses also sell lottery tickets. You can search the Illinois Lottery site for retail sales sites.

Don’t forget that if you win an Illinois Lottery prize, it's not a secret. With some exceptions, prizes greater than $600 are public record. If you win a large prize, your name and photo might be posted on the Illinois Lottery website and possibly reported in news media.

The odds of winning the jackpot are pretty low — about 1 in 302.6 million. You have a better chance of dying in a plane crash or lightning strike. But the odds of winning smaller prizes are significantly better: the odds of winning $1 million are about 1 in 12.6 million.