Megal Millions winning ticket sold, Powerball drawing tonight

Did you get your tickets yet?

Lottery sales are through the roof this week, with not one, but two games reaching tremendous prize totals.

While most everyone has their eyes set on Saturday’s Powerball with a top prize of $570 million, Friday’s Mega Millions drawing was offering a not-too-shabby $450 million.

According to the Pennsylvania Lottery website, the chances of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. Powerball’s odds are, strangely enough, slightly better at 1 in 292,201,338.

Despite the odds, local stores like Country Harvest in Palmerton are feeling the lotto fever with significant sales increases.

“It’s mostly Powerball,” bookkeeper Lara Good said. “It’s up a little bit. Instead of about $3, we’re getting around $117 a day. Usually, we have under $10 in online sales.”

By early Friday afternoon, Good said that they had reached $140 in ticket sales.

Across the street at the Carbon Mini Mart, manager Caleigh Condit said that her weekly sales are well above average. Whereas an average week might see about $500 in ticket sales, Condit estimates the past few days have yielded about $2,000 in Powerball and Mega Millions sales.

“It’s a huge draw. People who normally wouldn’t play, they’re all buying tickets,” Condit said. “Especially now that it’s Friday, people are spending $100 here just to play Powerball.”

Of course, taxes do take a cut of the prize. Powerball’s payout for a Pennsylvania winner would dip down to about $258 million for a one-time lump sum, or about $410 million in annuity payments over 29 years. Mega Millions would net a winner about $202 million for a one-time payout, or $324 million in annuity payments.

Tickets will be available up to 9:59 p.m. Saturday for Powerball.

UPDATE:

The Florida Lottery announce that one Mega Millions jackpot winning ticket was purchased in Florida at a 7-Eleven, located at 7131 Ridge Road in Port Richey.