Tuesday's Mega Millions up to $220 million

Monday, February 18, 2008 posted 10:59 AM EST

The jackpot for Tuesday's multi-state Mega Millions lottery is $220 million, the the largest since Aug. 31, when a $330 million jackpot was on the line, lottery officials announced.

No tickets with all six numbers have been sold since the Jan. 1 draw, 13 draws ago.

Tickets will be sold until 7:45 p.m. tomorrow. The draw will be held just before 8 p.m.

The odds of matching all five numbers and the Mega number are 1 in 175,711,536, according to the Mega Millions Web site.

Buying tickets at a store where winning tickets have been sold in the past will not increase a purchaser's chance of winning a jackpot, according to USC mathematics professor Ken Alexander.

"The chance that a given place will sell a winning lottery ticket is just related to how many tickets they sell," Alexander said

Besides California, the Mega Millions game is also played in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

With the jackpot growing, California Lottery officials reminded the public that borrowing money to play, spending above a person's budget or using money intended for other purposes can ultimately lead to significant problems for players and their families.



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