Who else tuned in for the 11 o’clock lottery drawing last Friday, hoping to match the winning numbers and instantly be entitled to millions upon millions of dollars?
With Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot totaling a record-breaking $640 million dollars, three lucky individuals holding winning tickets were not the only ones to wake up richer on Saturday morning. Along with several people who matched some, but not all, of the winning numbers, lottery retailers, state governments, and local news stations, profited from heightened ticket sales and increased publicity. According to reliable news sources, approximately 50% of Mega Millions sales are funneled back into prize payouts, while 35% land up in state coffers, and 15% finds itself in the hands of retailers who are responsible for ticket sales and lottery operating costs.