ALBUQUERQUE – The jackpot for tonight’s Mega Millions® drawing has jumped to $636 million.
This is the second time the jackpot has been increased since it rolled to $550 million Friday. Yesterday, ticket sales pushed it to $586 million.
New Mexico Lottery players have until 8:45 p.m. MT to buy tickets for the 9 p.m. drawing.
The jackpot’s cash option is $341.2 million, before taxes.
How to Play Mega Millions
To play Mega Millions, players choose five numbers from 1 to 75 and one Megaball number from 1 to 15. Players can also ask for a “quick-pick,” a set of numbers chosen by the lottery’s gaming system. Each wager costs $1.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight prize levels ranging between $1 and $1 million. The game’s Megaplier® option multiplies non-jackpot prizes up to $5 million. Megaplier costs $1 more per wager.
The odds of winning a jackpot are approximately 1 in 259 million. The odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are approximately 1 in 15.
The game’s record jackpot of $656 million was shared by players from Illinois, Kansas and Maryland in March 2012.
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 $586 million for education and more than 90,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.
Follow the New Mexico Lottery on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nmlottery) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMexicoLottery).