U.s. Lottery Jackpots Climb To Combined $2.2 Billion

Who wants to be a billionaire?For $2 a ticket, lottery players have a chance to be among the richest people in the world if they beat the long-shot odds of 1 in 303 million to win the Mega Millions jackpot of $1.6 billion Tuesday night.The sum reached a world record for lottery jackpots after there were no winning numbers for the $1 billion prize on Friday.About 280 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing, with about 60 percent of all winning number combinations covered, said Seth Elkin, a spokesman for the Maryland Lottery.Tickets sold for Tuesday’s drawing are expected to cover 75 percent of all possible number combinations, he said.However, the odds of getting killed by a shark are higher than winning the lottery, with the International Shark Attack File putting the chance at 1 in 3.7 million in a lifetime.If a player hits all six numbers to win the jackpot, they can opt for an immediate cash payment of $904 million or receive the $1.6 billion prize over 29 years.The instant cash payout in $100 bills would reach over 3,200 feet (975 meters), taller than any building in the world.Wednesday’s Powerball lottery prize stands at $620 million, making it the fifth largest jackpot in U.S.