As the Mega Millions jackpot has soared to an estimated $1 billion — the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. lottery history — Utahns hurried across state lines for the chance at the prize.
“I think the whole state’s up here,” said Gregg Green, a district manager at KJ’s Kwik Stop in Malad, Idaho. The store is about a dozen miles from the Utah border, and he said the majority of its shoppers are from Utah.
Lottery officials increased the grand prize just hours ahead of the Friday night drawing. The prize climbed from $970 million.
Although the jackpot keeps increasing, the odds of winning remain stuck at a miserable one in 302.