Mega Millions fever will undoubtedly grip the Southland for the next three days, with the jackpot for Friday's drawing already swelling to a record $500 million.
Tuesday night's drawing was the 18th to be held with nobody matching five numbers and the Mega number to claim the jackpot.
California Lottery officials initially estimated Friday night's jackpot at $476 million, but by today, that number jumped to the half-billion-dollar mark.
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Friday's drawing will be the largest jackpot in the history of the game, which began in 1996. The previous largest jackpot was $390 million for the March 6, 2007, drawing. The Jan. 4, 2011, drawing had a $380 million jackpot.
The numbers drawn Tuesday were 9, 19, 34, 44, 51 and the Mega number was
24.
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There were 47 tickets sold with five numbers, but missing the Mega number, including nine in California. The ones sold in California are each worth $308,573, while the other 38 are each worth $250,000, a California Lottery official announced.
California law requires most major payoffs of lottery games in the state
to be paid on a pari-mutuel basis.
One of the tickets with five numbers, but missing the Mega number was sold at Surf Liquor in Santa Monica, while a second was sold at Stopper Liquor in Placentia.
The odds of matching all five numbers and the Mega number is 1 in 175,711,536, according to the Mega Millions website. The overall chance of
winning a prize is 1 in 40.
The Mega Millions game is played in 41 states, the District of Columbia
and the U.S. Virgin Islands.