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Posted on 21 October 2018 at 17h14 | Updated 21 October 2018 at 17h14
Heap of money.JPG
Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
By Joe Brandt | For NJ.com
The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots reached $ 2.2 billion.
That's right, 2.2 billion dollars.
This is 2,200 million, an amount greater than the GDP of 27 countries. If you win and you do not pay taxes, $ 2.2 billion would be enough – just $ 150 million less – for the price tag of almost half of the Brooklyn nets. A donation of $ 2.2 billion could make your contribution one of the largest charitable donations of all time.
The Powerball jackpot is now $ 620 million. The Mega Millions jackpot is $ 1.6 billion, a new record: it's the biggest lottery jackpot in history.
"Mega Millions has already entered the historic territory, but it is truly amazing to think that the jackpot has reached a world record," said Gordon Medenica, senior director of the Mega Millions group and director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming Liberation. "It's hard to exaggerate how exciting it is – but now, it's really fun."
Jackpot attracts "new faces" in stores
Unsurprisingly, lottery retailers in New Jersey have seen more customers than usual in light of the huge jackpots.
"We've seen a lot of new faces," said Sunny Patel, owner of Friendly Food Mart in Gloucester Township with Mac Patel. The store sold a $ 10,000 winner last week, which means the ticket matched the five white bullets fired, but not the Mega Ball.
The store recently sold a Powerball ticket with all the numbers except one, said Patel.
"I've seen customers come in about 30 kilometers, they talk about social media to come here," he said.
Maybe it's a lucky shop. But chances are always against you.
Why did the jackpot climb so fast?
The Powerball rules were changed in 2016 to reduce the odds of winning the jackpot (old odds were 1 in 175,223,510).
As the jackpot became more and more difficult to win, it was more likely that it would increase again and again. This means that there is a better chance of getting a big jackpot, and the hype is bringing in more and more players and increasing the pot of money even more.
When the Powerball reached $ 1.58 billion, no one won the jackpot for 19 draws.
Mega Millions also changed ratings in October 2017 and doubled the price of a ticket from $ 1 to $ 2. And once the jackpot becomes huge, it starts a frenzy.
"It's just what everyone is talking about," Medenica told the Washington Post. "Everyone goes out and buys his tickets, has his dream."
The chances
Feeling lucky? Your chance to win the Mega Million Jackpot is 1 in 302,575,350.
For Powerball, the odds are 1 in 292,201,338.
You are more likely to die in a shark attack than to win one or the other of the two jackpots.
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