Tuesday Mega Millions Jackpot at $830M. Winning Ticket in Yakima?

Ok, last Friday I was pretty sure that I had purchased the winning Mega Millions ticket.

Saturday morning, I found out the bad news. I hadn't won the $660 million. But, the good news is, nobody else won either. So, here we are on Tuesday, and the Jackpot has expanded.

Mega Millions Jackpot for Tuesday, July 26th is 3rd Largest Ever for Mega Millions

The biggest jackpot in Mega Millions history was over $1.5 Billion a few years back. I can't actually wrap my head around such an amount. However, tonight's Mega Millions drawing is the 3rd largest in Mega Millions history, estimated to be $830,000,000. That would provide a one-time payout of $478.9 million before taxes. Most people choose the one-time payout option, as would I, since you can do so much better investing the money yourself, as opposed to taking equal incremental payments over 29 years and letting Uncle Sam earn the interest.

Just doing the math in case we win, you'll want to subtract 24% right off the top - since the US Government will grab that amount before you get your 'check'. There would be another 13% due on Tax day next year unless you and your accountant can come up with some creative alternatives. Still, your check after the initial 24% donation to the Government would be a whopping $363,964,000. I don't know about you but I could learn to live on that.

If you or someone you love may have a problem with gambling, check out this website for help - gamblersanonymous.org