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Mega Millions Jackpot Hits Record-Breaking $1 Billion

The swelling jackpot already had customers waiting hours in line to buy tickets.

Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot hit a record $1 billion ahead of the 11 p.m. drawing. “This is truly uncharted territory, and it’s exciting to see people across the country buying their tickets and joining in the fun,” Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions lead director and the director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming said in a statement Friday. A single winner choosing to take the cash lump sum would receive about $565.6 million. Should the prize go unclaimed Friday night, the next jackpot is estimated to grow to $1.6 billion. Friday’s projected prize would be the second-largest payout in U.S. lottery history after three winners split a Powerball drawing for $1.59 billion in 2016.