SACRAMENTO - It’s an embarrassment of riches for California Lottery players today with a MEGA Millions jackpot tonight of $106 million, currently the largest Lottery jackpot in the world, and Million Dollar Raffle tickets still available, offering players their best chance at a million bucks ever offered by a California Lottery game. The MEGA Millions jackpot could very well be claimed after tonight’s draw and Million Dollar Raffle tickets are going fast with already over 1 ½ million numbers sold. So don’t wait, get your tickets today, because who knows when you’ll have another opportunity to win quite like this?
"Between a $106 million MEGA Millions jackpot, and the California Lottery’s first ever Million Dollar Raffle, Lotto Fever is in the air," said Joan Borucki, Acting Director of the California Lottery. "How often do you get the chance to win the largest Lottery jackpot in the world today and get the best odds of winning a million dollars ever offered by the California Lottery?"
If the $106 million MEGA Millions jackpot is won by an individual, they’ll have the choice of receiving annual payments over the next 26 years or taking about half the announced jackpot in one lump sum (before federal tax withholding). Since California joined MEGA Millions in 2005, four MEGA Millions jackpots have been won by Californians for a total of $454 million in jackpot prizes alone.
Million Dollar Raffle sales began on February 5 and to date more than 1 ½ million Raffle numbers have already been sold. There are a maximum of five million unique seven digit Raffle numbers available for sale at $5 per number. If all 5 million numbers sell out, ten $1 million prizes will be awarded on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. There are a limited number of tickets available and for only a limited time. Sales end on St. Patrick’s Day or when all Raffle numbers are sold, whichever comes first.
Not only are Raffle tickets selling fast but if players want to participate in this weekend’s preliminary drawing for ten, $10,000 cash prizes they must purchase their tickets by 6:00 p.m. this Saturday, February 17. In addition to up to ten $1 million Grand Prizes, four preliminary draws for ten, $10,000 cash prizes in each draw will be held on the Saturdays leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. That means that players who purchase their Raffle tickets by February 17 will have five different chances to win! The preliminary draws will be conducted on February 17, February 24, March 3 and March 10, 2007. Raffle numbers remain eligible for subsequent draws. After every preliminary draw, previously purchased raffle numbers, even winning ones, will remain eligible for all subsequent draws and the Grand Prize drawing on March 17. Odds of winning a $1 million Grand Prize if all five million Raffle numbers are sold are 1 in 500,000 and prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw in which the prize was won.
Public education receives at least 34 cents of every dollar players spend on Lottery products. The California Lottery contributed a record $1.28 billion to public education in 2005-06 out of historic sales of $3.58 billion, the sixth year in a row the Lottery has provided more than $1 billion in supplemental funding for education. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $18 billion to California schools.
MEGA Millions and the Million Dollar Raffle can be played at approximately 19,000 retail business establishments around California. The MEGA Millions draw takes place each Tuesday and Friday night at 8:00 p.m. Players may purchase MEGA Millions tickets until 7:45 p.m. on the night of the draw.