Mega Millions ticket. Photo: Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Mega Millions grand prize is now officially tied for the largest lottery prize in U.S. history and is still poised to grow from its current $1.6 billion mark, making it one of six other top 10 drawings in the last three years, the AP's Scott McFertridge writes.
The big picture: Lottery officials have lessened the odds of winning a jackpot, increasing the opportunity for huge prizes that attract more attention and more money being spent on $2 Mega Millions or Powerball tickets despite the lower odds. In turn, older lottery grand prizes have been dwarfed.