If you're a Mega Millions ticket holder, then you should be gearing up for the Tuesday, Oct. 22 drawing for the lottery jackpot, which currently stands at a whopping $55 million.
The jackpot winner will have a choice of how they would like to be paid. They could choose the "Cash Option" and receive a one-time, lump sum payment of $30 million, or they can choose the "Annual Payout" option, which provides annual payments over a 26-year period, according to the Mega Millions website.
The overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 40, but the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 176 million.
Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday after the draw entry closes at 10:45 p.m. EST. Tickets are sold in 42 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The winning numbers are drawn at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Ga.
The Mega Millions winning numbers from the Oct. 18 drawing were 5, 50, 25, 48, 56 and the Mega Ball number was 1. There was no winner for the $37 million jackpot, however, five ticket holders won the $250,000 prize amount and there were 18 Match 4 + 1 winners who walked away with $10,000. Each $10,000 lottery winner matched four out of five white Mega Millions winning numbers, and the gold Mega Ball number.
For a national, interactive map of where tickets may be purchased, head over to the Mega Millions Where to Play page.
You can also watch a live stream of the lottery drawings at 11 p.m. EST below:
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