The Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated at one billion dollars for tonight’s drawing. Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says they were just talking at the recent Lottery Board meeting about the lack of big jackpots.
“This year things have been slower in that regard, and that’s what will happen. You never know when the next big one will hit,” she says. Billion dollar jackpots used to be rare until the last few years. “For record jackpots in the United States, there have been 10 prizes of more than a billion dollars in Powerball and Mega Millions,” Neubauer says. “So that does just show you the impact of the changes that have been made over the games in recent years, because people expect big jackpots, but the definition of what is a big jackpot keeps changing over time.” Six of those Billion-dollar jackpots have come in the Mega Millions game.
Neubauer says Christmas Eve won’t stop the Iowa Lottery from letting everyone know if there was a winner, or if the jackpot will continue growing after tonight’s drawing. “I can remember, in years past, we’d had a big jackpot drawing on Christmas Day. This one is on Christmas Eve, but business as usual, the drawings will continue and the winners will be announced in the usual fashion,” she says. “We’ll all have to wake up. I guess on Christmas morning. We’ll probably have other things to be thinking about that morning. But hey, we might see a big jackpot winner that morning as well.”
Neubauer says if you’re thinking a Mega Millions ticket is a good gift, just remember the age limit for buying. “Every year around the holidays it is our message to keep lottery tickets for the grown ups on your list. We say they’re fun for the grown ups on your list, because to buy a lottery ticket in Iowa, you do need to be at least 21 years old,” she says, “and yes, a lot of people will give lottery tickets as stocking stuffers or maybe in the office gift exchange.” Neubauer says that age restriction is in place because young people’s brains are still developing, particularly the area of the brain that controls impulsivity and a child or a teenager can have more difficulty with things like gambling than does an adult.
The Mega Millions drawing is at 10 p.m. You must purchase a ticket by 8:59 p.m.
(This post was updated to adjust the estimated jackpot amount)