Mega Millions winning numbers announced for $243 million jackpot
The winning numbers drawn for Friday's $243 million Mega Millions jackpot are 24, 28, 42, 60 and 64 and the Mega Ball number is 8. The jackpot is an estimated $243 million.
There was no winner for the jackpot, pushing Tuesday's jackpot to an estimated $265 million, with a one-time cash option of $157 million.
Tickets cost $2. Sales time cut-offs vary by state but are usually one to two hours before the drawing.
There will be a Powerball drawing on Saturday. The estimated jackpot is $321 million.
But don't get your hops up yet: Even with more options for giant payouts, the odds of winning a jackpot remain abysmal at 1 in 258.9 million for Mega Millions and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball.
The odds of winning both jackpots are one in 75 quadrillion -- that's 15 zeros -- according to data scientists at Allstate.
The average American spends about $200 a year on lottery tickets, though residents of some states spend far more. According to a study by LendEDU, the average Massachusetts resident spends $735 annually on lottery tickets. Rhode Islanders plop down $514 a year. And if you live in Delaware or New York, you're likely spending about $400 a year, or $33 per month (see map below).
The odds of winning "scratchers" -- those little instant winning tickets that you can buy for prices ranging from $1 to $50 -- are better, but it's still no way to get rich.
