Mega Millions numbers: All the stats you need to know, and some you don’t

The California Lottery is all about numbers, so here’s a by-the-numbers look at the most popular game of the moment, Mega Millions, on the eve of the draw for the biggest jackpot in world history.

So let’s start with that number: $1.6 billion.

Just to get a sense of how much that is, previously, the biggest jackpot in Mega Millions history was less than half that amount: $656 million in 2012. Three winning tickets — in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland — shared the prize.

The mega-jackpot has, not surprisingly, mushroomed as more people hit their local liquor stores, supermarkets and gas stations in hopes of getting rich.

“When the frenzy begins and it approaches $1 billion, we find that a lot of people who usually don’t play lottery will take a chance,” said Russ Lopez, a spokesman for the California State Lottery. “We see a lot of people who are casual players or non-players. But that’s human nature right? When something gets this high, it’s got an allure.”

Here’s some numbers and percentages to consider:

1 in 303 million: The number of possible combinations and odds of matching all five numbers and the Mega Ball.

$905 million: The estimated lump sum that a prospective Mega Millions winner could take home before taxes.

24 percent: The IRS’s cut of the lottery winnings, which apply to any prize over $5,000. California does not take out additional state taxes on the prize, but winners should expect to pay up on their income taxes.

25 million: That’s how many tickets California State Lottery officials say had been sold, as of Monday afternoon, for Tuesday night’s drawing.

32: The number of times Californians have won the jackpot since the state joined the Mega Millions draw. This includes an office pool in Santa Clara County in August, when 11 people cashed in on a $543 million ticket.

$1.9 million: How much a lucky Safeway bakery employee’s Mega Millions ticket netted him last week when he matched the first five numbers.

$1.3 billion: Funding that Californian public schools have received this year from lottery drawings. K-12 schools get most of the funds, while a smaller amount go to the Californian community college, California State University and University of California school systems.’

$107 million: The estimated amount that Californian public schools will receive from tickets sold for Tuesday’s draw.

$13 million: The payout to San Francisco public schools this year to date, according to a California State Lottery report. Each quarter, the state controller’s office audits the amount raised by California State Lottery ticket and scratcher sales and cuts a check to each institution.

2: The number of California Lottery District Offices in the Bay Area. Winners could go to Richmond or Hayward to submit their claim forms.

46: States and territories (Washington D.C. and U.S. Virgin Islands) are part of the Mega Millions draw. Nevada, Utah, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii do not participate.

1-800-426-2537: The toll-free phone number for the California Council on Problem Gambling. Lottery officials say that people seeking counseling for a gambling addiction can also text SUPPORT to 53342.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @gwendolynawu