Mega Millions madness hits the DMV as jackpot reaches $1.35 billion
DMV residents try their luck at Mega Millions $1.35 billion jackpot
It may have been Friday the 13th, but plenty of people all over D.C., Maryland, and Virginia were feeling lucky, purchasing Mega Millions tickets for their shot at a $1.35 billion jackpot. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal spoke to a few people in North Bethesda Friday who already have plans for the money if they win.
BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - It may have been Friday the 13th, but plenty of people all over D.C., Maryland, and Virginia were feeling lucky, purchasing Mega Millions tickets for their shot at a $1.35 billion jackpot.
"$20 for me and $20 for my mom," said Derek Bullard as he handed over $40 at an Exxon near the intersection of Rockville Pike and Nicolson Lane in North Bethesda.
The store had previously sold a Powerball ticket worth $10 million. A clerk said this time around, they’d sold nearly 300 Mega Millions tickets just on Friday by about 6 p.m.
The $1.35 billion jackpot is the second largest in Mega Millions history, and it follows another billion-dollar grand prize won back in July.
Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin told FOX 5 that several factors make the big jackpots possible. Most notably, back in 2017, the price of a Mega Millions ticket doubled from $1 to $2.
But having two billion-dollar jackpots so close together?
$1 million Mega Millions lottery ticket sold in Virginia
"That’s crazy," Martin said. "I would not bank on the fact that, you know, that once it hits we’re going to ramp back up to the billion dollars the next time."
Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for 11 p.m.