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TagsBY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Would you believe in Santa Claus if he stuffed over $100 million in his sack this year and was ready to deliver?
Well, for those people in need of last minute Christmas gifts, you might consider a Mega Millions lottery ticket for the Christmas Eve drawing.
And for folks who could use a Christmas Eve miracle, the lottery estimates Friday's jackpot will be $168 million.
According to 7online.com, that's $107-million if the winner takes the lump sum option.
UPDATED: WINNING NUMBER FOR FRIDAY, DEC. 24, 2010
15 16 27 40 52 + 16
The phrase, "you never know" has been thrown around a lot with lotteries. Lotterypost.com reports a central Kentucky autoworker is lucky he held on to the $128 million Powerball ticket he bought on Christmas Eve last year during some last-minute shopping — because, it was printed by mistake.
Rob Anderson said the winning ticket was a misprint that he decided to keep while buying stocking-stuffers at a Georgetown, Ky., gas station. He wanted to buy $1 lottery tickets for three people, but the clerk put a $3 Quick Pick all on one ticket instead of on three separate ones. Anderson decided to keep the ticket.When he arrived at home, he tossed the ticket on his dresser and didn't think about it until the Sunday morning after the drawing. Anderson checked the winning numbers and knew they weren't any of the ones he usually picked. That's when he remembered the $3 ticket on his nightstand.
Merry Christmas indeed.
According to the Mega Millions website, the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won was $390 million in March 2007. A Georgia resident correctly selected the winning numbers for a drawing and became one of two winners to share the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. Eddie Eugene Nabors, 52, claimed his half of the record-breaking $390 million jackpot at Georgia Lottery headquarters.
The jackpot amount increased from an advertised $370 million to $390 million as a result of strong sales. Nabors selected the cash option and will receive $116,557,083 before taxes. A second jackpot ticket for Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing was purchased in New Jersey.
So yes, it can happen here.
The jackpot has been rolling over since November 9 when a single ticketholder won $25-million.
If no one wins tonight, the jackpot could top $200-million next week.
