We all have been accustomed to sayings like “There are no shortcuts to riches.” Well, the recent news of the Mega Millions jackpot rewarding its winner with $970 million (around 6000 crores INR) on October 19, 2018, has proved that you can never know when good luck will come knocking at your door. This amount falls short of a few millions of rewards announced during the Powerball prize in 2016. The winner has the option to choose from either accepting $548 million (more than 3000 crores INR) in a lump sum or accept $970 million (around 6000 crores INR) in regular instalments spread over a span of 30 years. The amount is, however, subject to federal taxes, state taxes and city income tax.
Luck by chance
Some may mock this piece of news as nothing short of a farce since the whole idea of earning such a huge amount at one go seems impossible. However, it cannot be denied that there are people indeed luckier than the rest when it comes to earning windfall gains. The probability of winning such a huge amount is merely 1 in 303 million. However, if that one person out of the teeming millions could be you, then, you need to start thinking about buying a lottery ticket.
This is not the first time that some lottery game with large jackpots has declared such a huge reward. In July 2018, a group of employees at a Wells Fargo & Co. branch in California had won a jackpot of $543 million (more than 3000 crores INR) by participating in the Mega Millions jackpot. The players are required to pick six numbers correctly — five white balls from 1 to 70 and the yellow “mega ball” from 1 to 25 if they are looking to win the jackpot. Not always people can guess the lucky six numbers, so the lottery company has to wait until they find their winner who takes away all the booty.
You can be a billionaire too!
Though the odds of winning the jackpot are fairly low, Indian people just like their American counterparts may surely consider the idea of participating in a lottery jackpot to try their luck. One requires to spend just $2 (nearly 140 INR) on a ticket to win a chance of taking home the Mega Millions jackpot. The lottery game has been in place since 2002. The first winner took nearly $28 million in the first drawing of the Mega Millions jackpot announced on May 17, 2002.
The most recent Mega Millions drawing was held on October 19 for a jackpot of $1 billion. The first 25 drawings announced no winner as they could find no one with the correct six-number combination. People in India are now buying tickets to try their luck for the winning the $1.6-billion (more than 7000 crores INR) jackpot that would be announced soon.
Who can play it?
The Mega Millions jackpot is not played in all countries. However, Indians can also participate in international lotteries, albeit online. Since the lottery drawings take place outside India, playing foreign lotteries is not contingent on Indian gambling restrictions. Indians can play from anywhere in the country through international platforms that allow them to participate in American lottery games.
Lottoland, an internationally renowned lottery, acts as an international platform to participate in more than 30 international lotteries is soon to commence its operations in India in early 2019. You have to log on to the Lottoland website, click on any banner or the “Play Now” buttons given on the website. Then among the lotteries listed on the site, choose the lottery game that you wish to play. Then using the number selector grid, select the numbers chosen. Alternatively, you may also push the Quick Pick button for a set of numbers selected randomly by the site itself. To confirm the purchase of the lottery ticket, click the “Continue” button. Once the process is completed, register your details and confirm your purchase. Once the lottery company has received the order, you may view the numbers in your online account. The winning amount is directly credited to your online account.
Many people have always toyed with the idea of earning crores at one go. Taking part in the Mega Millions jackpot seems to be the next big way to win millions of dollars overnight. With so much money waiting to be made and claimed, all one has to do is to buy a ticket and guess the correct six-number combination.
