Mega Millions Odds: How Likely Are You To Win $640 Million Jackpot?

Mega Millions Odds: Chances of winning the $640 million jackpot are 1 in about 176 million. The Mega Millions drawing will take place Friday, March 30 at 11 p.m. ET.

May the Mega Millions odds be ever in my favor.

That's certainly the attitude thousands of hopeful ticket-holders are sporting as the Mega Millions jackpot surged to $640 million Friday afternoon.

But what are the odds of winning the largest jackpot in U.S. history?

One in roughly 176 million, the Los Angeles Times observes.

In other words, there's a substantially better chance of scoring a hole in one during a round of golf (1 in 13,000) or getting struck by lightning (1 in 576,000) than picking all six winning numbers, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Or to look at it another way, there's a better chance of becoming a professional athlete (1 in 24,000) or even an astronaut (1 in 12 million), WETM News reports.

And if you want to get gruesome, there's even a better chance of being crushed to death by a vending machine (1 in 112 million), according to the Daily Beast.

But is there a special formula to picking the winning numbers?

Not really, Live Science reports. During every drawing, each number still has the same chance of being chosen:

So, whether you pick 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, have your numbers assigned randomly, or carefully select numbers with noteworthy histories, your chances of winning Mega Millions are pretty much the same.

For the optimists out there, here's some simple (and uplifting!) advice:

"Just buy a ticket, sit back and see if fate points a finger at you for that day," Chuck Strutt of the Urbandale, Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association, told the Associated Press.

After all, somebody has to win.

The winning numbers will be announced on Friday, March 30 at 11 p.m. ET.

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Comments

[ieuniversalstarr]

12:54 PM on 03/31/2012

Everyonbe dreams..hopes..wishes that it was them self that had that winning ticket. All the things we could of done and would be doing at this very moment. Well no such LUCK . Okay so now what? Hmm keeping working .. keep living and like usual keep DREAMING BIG.. Make sure you just be GRATEFUL for this day regardless..

[grumpydriver43]

04:47 AM on 03/31/2012

I ahve five out of the six numbers but not in order.

[mlaiuppa]

01:44 AM on 03/31/2012

And yet people do score holes in one. Or get struck by lightening.

Or get the hockey puck through the tiny little hole and win a new truck as I saw one grandmother who had never played hockey in her life do.

Someone does win eventually.

And you never will if you don't buy a ticket.

So while the odds are long if you buy a ticket, they are impossible if you don't.

We live in hope and desperation.

Someone won. It wasn't me. I have a trigger amount that needs to be reached before I'll start buying lottery tickets again. I'll get an e-mail alert when that trigger amount has been reached. In the meantime, I wait and save.

[pllc]

11:52 PM on 03/30/2012

Wonder what the jackpot will jump to if there is no winning ticket this week? $1.0 billion?

[Melissa Pearson Warner]

11:46 PM on 03/30/2012

well the winning numbers are 2,4,23,38,46, 23

[Zilo]

11:36 PM on 03/30/2012

There are millions upon millions of disappointed people tonight I bet.

[Ad4tize]

07:23 AM on 04/01/2012

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[wheresthechange412]

11:34 PM on 03/30/2012

checked my numbers (i lost), dang i was going to use that money to get outta this country before Obama and his circus clowns run it into the ground!!!! LMAO === F... YOUR HEALTHCARE TOO!!!!

[mrlogo1]

11:32 PM on 03/30/2012

the govenment will fix it by hireing an actor to win and then they will keep all the money like always

[Rich Zimm]

11:31 PM on 03/30/2012

MY WIFE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOO BAD SHE DEVORCED ME LAST MONTH

[Zilo]

11:35 PM on 03/30/2012

lol You have crap luck then.

[tigerx2]

11:27 PM on 03/30/2012

Thankyou GOD I didn't win the big one. Now I can go to sleep!

[nolib1937]

11:25 PM on 03/30/2012

All you lib's start too cry there is one more of the 1 % ........ this one did not work his butt off to get there ......

[snewell]

12:45 AM on 03/31/2012

ANYONE WHO USES THE WORD "LIB" REALLY NEEDS TO TURN OFF THAT TV AND READ A BOOK. TURN OFF FOX, CNN ETC. GO TO THE LIBRARY. LEARN YOUR HISTORY. TRAVEL THE WORLD. TAKE A CIVICS CLASS. WHATEVER IT TAKES FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN. BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE YOU ARE DEMONIZING ARE AMERICANS TOO. MANY "LIBS" HAVE SEEN COMBAT SAVING YOU FROM HAVING TO YOURSELF, SO GROW UP AND EDUCATE YOURSELF.

[mmazur1o5]

11:42 AM on 03/31/2012

There really is no reason to respond like that to a person who doesn't appear to have even a basic understanding of the English language. Turn them off my friend and get on with your day.

[Rich Zimm]

11:23 PM on 03/30/2012

FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS BUY A CLEAN PAIR OF UNDERWARE,CUASE I SHIT MYSELF IF I WIN

[cashey]

11:23 PM on 03/30/2012

anybody win?

[bba007]

11:22 PM on 03/30/2012

What were the numbers that were drawn? Post them here.

[softballguy18]

11:23 PM on 03/30/2012

46 23 38 4 2 Mega Ball=23

[LesR22]

11:19 PM on 03/30/2012

not a winner. but did have a lot of fun talking about what we would do with the money!