MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT PUSHED TO $586 MILLION! 4th largest in U.S history Avoid the Rush, Play Responsibly

NASHVILLE – With ticket sales skyrocketing, lottery officials have increased the soaring Mega Millions jackpot from $550 million to an estimated $586 million for tomorrow’s drawing. (Cash value is $316.5 million.)

As jackpots rise to this level, the Tennessee Education Lottery encourages those who want a chance to win to avoid the rush by not waiting until the last minute to purchase a ticket and, above all, to play responsibly as it only takes one ticket to win.

Tickets for the big drawing must be purchased by 9:45 p.m. CT/10:45 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The current record U.S. jackpot is $656 million, shared by players in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland on March 30, 2012.

About the Tennessee Education Lottery
The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation operates entirely from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Net proceeds from sales of Lottery tickets, currently averaging over $6.3 million per week, fund specific education programs, including college scholarships and after-school programs.

Since the Lottery began selling tickets on Jan. 20, 2004, it has raised more than $2.8 billion for these programs. In addition to the educational beneficiaries, players have won over $6.5 billion in prizes and Lottery retailer partners have earned nearly $706 million in retailer commissions.