Mega Millions winning numbers announced for $530 million jackpot

The winning numbers for Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot were 17, 19, 27, 40, 68 and the Mega Ball was 2. The pot was up to $530 million. 

If there is no winner, the next drawing will be Tuesday night. 

Each ticket costs $2 and winners must match all the numbers, including the Mega Ball, to take home the full sum. 

The Mega Millions winner has the option to take a one-time lump sum or be paid in annual installments of 10 to 25 years. The one-time cash option for Friday’s jackpot is $343.9 million.

Mega Millions winning numbers

• 17, 19, 27, 40, 68
• Mega Ball: 2
• Megaplier: 3X

Taking the jackpot’s cash value is an option favored by most winners. Otherwise, the jackpot is doled out over 29 years. 

Mega Millions tickets are $2 and are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Odds of winning

The odds of winning a jackpot remain abysmal at 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions *(and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball).

Who buys lotto tickets?

About two-thirds of Americans gamble. Last year, they spent $72.97 billion on traditional lottery tickets, according to Gallup.

On average, that’s $206.69 per person. “Our obsession with lotteries, with gambling, is that unicorn feeling of, like, ‘maybe it’ll be me,'” CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger said. She points out that some people don’t necessarily play to win.

“They just want to take a moment out of their day to consider how to dream big,” Schlesinger said.

The average American spends about $223 per year on lottery tickets, according to a survey from LENDedu. Massachusetts residents have the biggest taste for playing the odds, spending almost $763 per year on lottery tickets, the study found. North Dakotans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending about $44 per year on the lottery, or the lowest average figure among residents of all 50 states.