The Mega Millions jackpot is $970 million — but your odds of winning it all are 1 in 302.5 million
The Mega Millions jackpot — drawing Friday night — is worth a staggering $970 million.
It’s also highly, highly unlikely that you’ll win it all: The odds of scoring the jackpot are one in 1 in 302,575,350.
Sorry about that. You can still try your luck with the lotto. But you’re far more likely to …
Get struck by lightning
Your odds of getting struck by lightning are about one in 500,000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. It’s still a pretty unlikely event, but southeastern states are at the highest risk — particularly, Florida, considered the “lightning capital of the US,” because over 2,000 people have been struck by lightning there in the past 50 years.
Be allergic to water
Only one in 230 million people have an allergy to water, a condition called aquatic urticaria, per the BBC. People with the rare allergy develop hives when their skin comes in contact with water.
Become a saint
You’ve got a one in 20 million chance of being canonized in the Catholic Church, according to Gregory Baer, author of “Life: The Odds.” He told ABC News ahead of his book release in 2003 you’ve got better odds of being named the Pope.
Become a movie star
You may have star power to spare, but you’ve also got a 1 in 1,190,000 chance of starring on the silver screen, according to “The Book of Odds” by Amram Shapiro. Hollywood is no joke.
Make it in the NBA under 6 feet tall
Oddly specific, sure, but if you’re less than 6 feet tall, you’ve got 1 in 1.2 million odds of becoming a pro basketballer, according to the New York Times. If you were 7 feet tall, though, you’d have a 1 in 7 shot — but growing that tall is incredibly rare, too.
If you’re still trying your luck with the lotto
The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday at 11 p.m. ET. If you win it all, your cash option is $716.3 million, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But don’t feel too bad if you don’t score big — the odds weren’t in your favor anyway.
