LANSING, November 15, 2005 – With the excitement growing in anticipation of tonight’s Mega Millions drawing, forecasters today revised the estimated jackpot upward to $315 million.  This is the largest jackpot in the history of the game.

The jackpot winner can choose 26 annuity payments of $12,115,384 per year, which equates to $1,009,615 per month, $232,988 per week, or $33,192 per day! 

If the winner prefers, he or she can take the lump sum payment, which is $184.6 million!

“The excitement that a jackpot of this size builds is amazing.  I’d like nothing better than to be handing a check to a lucky Michigan player who wins this prize,” Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters said. 

The adjusted jackpot shows how strong Mega Millions sales have been since the previous drawing did not produce a jackpot winner.  That drawing did produce nearly 1.7 million winning tickets for prizes ranging from $2 to $250,000.  Forecasters estimate the jackpot amount based on sales.

This jackpot has been growing since September 16, when Mega Millions had its most recent jackpot winner.  The jackpot has now rolled 16 times without a winner.  The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately one in 176 million. 

If nobody matches all six numbers tonight, the Mega Millions jackpot will jump to an astonishing $380 million dollars – the largest jackpot in U.S. history!  The previous highest jackpot was a $363 million prize for the Big Game in May of 2000.

Mega Millions several ways to win cash prizes ranging from $1 to the jackpot, including a second-tier prize of $250,000 for matching the first five numbers. 

Mega Millions is played in 12 states: Michigan, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.  Wagers cost $1 each and tickets may be purchased at more than 10,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

All proceeds from the Lottery are contributed to the state School Aid Fund which supports kindergarten through 12th grade public education in Michigan.  In fiscal year 2004, the contribution was $644.8 million.