Americans rush for a chance to win $540m lottery jackpot

Americans queued in 42 states for a chance to win half a billion dollars today in the Mega Millions jackpot.

The odds of winning the $540 million are 173 million to one. The prize is expected to hit $600 million when the draw closes.

The winner is offered a lower lump sum or an annual amount. Most take the lump sum, which would be about $359 million (£231.6 million). But the government takes a third in taxes, leaving about $240 million.

Mike Catalano, of the mathematics department at a South Dakota University, said: “You are about 50 times as likely to get struck by lightning as to win the lottery, based on the 90 people a year hit by lightning. Of course, if you buy 50 tickets, you’ve equalised your chances of winning the jackpot with getting struck by lightning.”