Second-richest Lottery Draw in US History

Frantic Americans snapped up $1 lottery tickets on Tuesday as the Mega Millions jackpot swelled to $636 million, making it the second-richest lottery draw in US history.

Brisk sales were reported in the 43 states where Mega Millions is played -- and if no winner emerges by this weekend, the jackpot could potentially balloon to a staggering $1 billion on Christmas Eve.

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"The jackpot has been rolling since it was last hit in Maryland for $190 million on October 1," said the Multi-State Lottery Association in a statement.

Drawings were scheduled for 11:00 pm Tuesday (0400 GMT Wednesday) and again on Friday at the same time.

The record jackpot of $656 million in March 2012 was split between ticket holders in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland, but this draw is the first since a rule change in October.

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Previously, players picked five numbers from one to 56 plus a number from one to 46.

Now it's five numbers from one to 75 plus a number from one to 15 -- shifting the odds of winning from one in 176 million to one in 259 million.

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By comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning in the United States in one's lifetime is one in 10,000, according to the National Weather Service.

Source-AFP