New Mexico Lottery Reminds Players to Sign Tickets at Purchase
ALBUQUERQUE – Strong ticket sales nationwide have pushed Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot to $540 million, the world’s largest jackpot ever.
According to the New Mexico Lottery, the winner of the $540 million jackpot would receive approximately $20.7 million a year – the equivalent of $57,000 a day – for the next 26 years. The winner could also elect to take the jackpot’s lump-sum pre-tax cash payment of $389.8 million.
New Mexico Lottery CEO Tom Romero said he hopes good fortune lands in New Mexico Friday.
“We already have 34 lottery millionaires in New Mexico so our state is no stranger to good luck,” Romero said, “but we would like our next millionaire to also be the winner of the world’s largest lottery jackpot ever. It would simply be an astounding event.”
Play it Smart
Since all lottery tickets are bearer instruments, Romero encouraged players to sign their tickets as soon as they are purchased. A signature and address line is printed on the back of every lottery ticket.
Romero also advised people playing in a pool with friends or co-workers to distribute copies of tickets to every member of the pool prior to the drawing. This will help minimize any conflicts about whether a winning ticket belongs to the pool or to the person who made the purchase on the group’s behalf.
The previous record Mega Millions jackpot was $390 million. It was won by players from Georgia and New Jersey in March 2007.
The New Mexico Lottery joined the Mega Millions game in January 2010. Mega Millions is played in 42 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings take place Tuesday and Friday evenings. Tickets are $1 per play per draw and can be purchased until 8:45 p.m. MT for that night’s drawing. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are approximately 1 in 176 million.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
All profits from the sale of New Mexico Lottery games fund an in-state college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $514 million for education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.