Mega Millions

They call La Tienda the home of the "Utah Lottery," but the convenience store is in Idaho, in the border town of Franklin. And as Powerball's jackpot swells to a record $425 million, Utah residents hoping to strike it rich are fleeing their state's lottery ban for this ticket-selling store in droves. "This weekend we had four registers running, and they were going 15 or 20 [people] deep," said La Tienda owner K.C. Spackman, who guesses that 90% of his customers are from Utah and who sold a winning $1-million ticket to a Utah mother and daughter last year.

Californians no longer had to worry about crossing state lines for their 1-in-175-million shot at a Powerball win. The multi-state lottery game finally arrived here Monday. John Apodaca, 62, of Hawthorne was part of one line. The veteran said that after he returned from Vietnam, a woman read his palm and said he would be a rich man - so he goes to the Bluebird Liquor store every day at the same time and plays the same numbers. He's there so often that an employee welcomed him with a salute.

Californians no longer had to worry about crossing state lines for their 1-in-175-million shot at a Powerball win. The multi-state lottery game finally arrived here Monday. John Apodaca, 62, of Hawthorne was part of one line. The veteran said that after he returned from Vietnam, a woman read his palm and said he would be a rich man - so he goes to the Bluebird Liquor store every day at the same time and plays the same numbers. He's there so often that an employee welcomed him with a salute.

If first-day sales are any indication, California's bet on Powerball is paying off. Tickets for the multistate game -- sold in the Golden State for the first time Monday -- generated a record-setting $3.1 million in its first 24 hours, with about 700,000 players participating, California Lottery spokesman Russ Lopez said Tuesday. About $1 million of that was made by noon. And sales are continuing to climb, Lopez said. The latest cumulative count from Tuesday placed the total close to $4 million.

If first-day sales are any indication, California's bet on Powerball is paying off. Tickets for the multistate game -- sold in the Golden State for the first time Monday -- generated a record-setting $3.1 million in its first 24 hours, with about 700,000 players participating, California Lottery spokesman Russ Lopez said Tuesday. About $1 million of that was made by noon. And sales are continuing to climb, Lopez said. The latest cumulative count from Tuesday placed the total close to $4 million.

Last November, America got Powerball fever and California felt left out. The jackpot for the multi-state game had reached $587.5-million and ticket sales skyrocketed. But California was one of only eight states without Powerball, forcing residents to ask relatives in other states to buy them tickets or even drive to the Arizona border. On Monday, Powerball finally came to California, and with long lines. Powerball is the lottery's first new game in nearly a decade, and at $2 a pop is also the most expensive jackpot to enter.

Mega Millions mania is hitting the home stretch. The jackpot stands at a record $540 million for Friday night's drawing and is likely to soar even higher in the final hours. Here are six tips for getting in on the game, and what to do when you win big. Best of luck. 1) Get your Mega Millions tickets. Now. Waiting until the last minute can be problematic. The lottery is played in 42 states plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. The Mega Millions drawing takes place on Tuesday and Fridays at 8 p.m. PDT. But sales of the $1 tickets are cut off at different times in different places.

The Maryland Mega Millions mystery has been solved. Three public school educators stepped forward Monday to cash in their ticket for a share of a record jackpot that topped $656 million. They wore black gloves and matching red sweatshirts and hid behind one of those giant checks -- preferring to remain anonymous in an attempt to keep at bay all those people who would like to separate the lottery winners from their money. The trio -- two public school teachers and a school administrator -- have relatively modest plans for their winnings.

Mega Millions' $290-million jackpot is up for grabs, and office workers across the country are no doubt pooling resources to buy a bunch of tickets. But how do you keep from getting swindled? It happens, you know. Just last week, a New Jersey jury found that construction worker Americo Lopes tried to scam his co-workers out of their share of a $38.5-million jackpot by slinking off with the winning ticket purchased as part of an office pool. You could avoid a similar fate by purchasing your own Mega Millions lottery ticket before Friday's drawing . But do you really want to be the only guy or gal standing on the sidelines when your co-workers win the jackpot?

The Mega Millions jackpot is still up for grabs at $290 million and counting, one of the biggest jackpots ever . You may have the numbers you're loyal to, but some of us are fairly random about it. As with everything, there's an app for that. If you're in one of the 42 states -- yes, California is one -- then you can take a chance. The game is simple, as Rene Lynch at the Nation Now blog explains : "Players pick six numbers from two different pools: The first five are numbers from 1 to 56, and the sixth is chosen from numbers 1 to 46. You win by matching all six numbers.

Last November, America got Powerball fever and California felt left out. The jackpot for the multi-state game had reached $587.5-million and ticket sales skyrocketed. But California was one of only eight states without Powerball, forcing residents to ask relatives in other states to buy them tickets or even drive to the Arizona border. On Monday, Powerball finally came to California, and with long lines. Powerball is the lottery's first new game in nearly a decade, and at $2 a pop is also the most expensive jackpot to enter.

For some people, 'tis the season to receive -- big time and in more ways than one. A Missouri mechanic, his wife and children were given a ceremonial check for almost $294 million on Friday, their share of the record Powerball lottery. “I think we're going to have a pretty good Christmas,” Cindy Hill of Dearborn, Mo., said at a televised news conference where she, her husband, Mark, their three sons and daughter gathered around the outsized paper check representing their winnings.

DEARBORN, Mo. - Powerball fever carried an edge of anticipation Thursday as Missouri lottery officials said they had verified one of two tickets that matched all six numbers to split a $588-million jackpot, but that ticket holder - and another in Arizona - remained a mystery. The winning tickets were sold at a convenience store in suburban Phoenix and a gas station in Dearborn, just off Interstate 29. Missouri lottery officials said they had verified a ticket presented to them that included all winning numbers - 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and the Powerball, 6 - and scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Friday.

A lot of hopeful eyes are glued on the biggest number in gambling this week -- the record $425-million Powerball jackpot that's destined to make some lottery ticket buyer somewhere very, very happy. In advance of Wednesday's drawing, some people are already very happy: officials in states selling Powerball tickets. Behind the scenes, they've been setting the stage for bigger and bigger jackpots, both for ticket buyers and states selling tickets.  In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, state lottery commissions -- 33 of which run Powerball -- saw a historic year of revenue from ticket sales.

They call La Tienda the home of the "Utah Lottery," but the convenience store is in Idaho, in the border town of Franklin. And as Powerball's jackpot swells to a record $425 million, Utah residents hoping to strike it rich are fleeing their state's lottery ban for this ticket-selling store in droves. "This weekend we had four registers running, and they were going 15 or 20 [people] deep," said La Tienda owner K.C. Spackman, who guesses that 90% of his customers are from Utah and who sold a winning $1-million ticket to a Utah mother and daughter last year.

A husband and wife from an Illinois farming town have staked their claim to a $218-million share of the record Mega Millions jackpot that recently riveted the nation. Merle and Pat Butler spent just $3 on lottery tickets (using the quick-pick method) to get in on last month's record $656-million jackpot. The Butlers are the last of the three winning ticket-holders to step forward. Merle Butler, 65, attended a news conference Wednesday and told the media that when he first checked his numbers after the March 30 drawing, he couldn't believe he'd won. Pat Butler couldn't believe it at first, either.

The allure of getting fabulously rich as suddenly as being hit by lightning is a time-honored fantasy. Sadly, the chance of getting killed by that lightning is far more likely than getting rich by winning the world's largest lottery. As of Friday morning, the jackpot in the Mega Millions lottery had hit a record $640 million, sending players in 42 states and the District of Columbia to beat a hasty path to the nearest kiosk, sundry outlet or grocery store to plunk down a buck - or many - to purchase a lottery ticket - or many.

A husband and wife from an Illinois farming town have staked their claim to a $218-million share of the record Mega Millions jackpot that recently riveted the nation. Merle and Pat Butler spent just $3 on lottery tickets (using the quick-pick method) to get in on last month's record $656-million jackpot. The Butlers are the last of the three winning ticket-holders to step forward. Merle Butler, 65, attended a news conference Wednesday and told the media that when he first checked his numbers after the March 30 drawing, he couldn't believe he'd won. Pat Butler couldn't believe it at first, either.

The Maryland Mega Millions mystery has been solved. Three public school educators stepped forward Monday to cash in their ticket for a share of a record jackpot that topped $656 million. They wore black gloves and matching red sweatshirts and hid behind one of those giant checks -- preferring to remain anonymous in an attempt to keep at bay all those people who would like to separate the lottery winners from their money. The trio -- two public school teachers and a school administrator -- have relatively modest plans for their winnings.

When an attorney announced he was holding a news conference Wednesday on behalf of a Maryland McDonald's worker who claims to hold one of three winning Mega Millions tickets, the media throng dutifully showed up expecting answers. No such luck. Instead, there were more questions. And the most important unanswered question was this: Does Mirlande Wilson, 37, of Westport, Md., really have the winning ticket? And if the public at large is anxious for answers -- after all, hundreds of thousands of Americans played for a chance at a jackpot that topped $640 million -- imagine how Wilson's co-workers at the fast-food restaurant feel.