Mega Millions jackpot now at world record $540 million

The estimated jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions drawing has risen to $540 million, extending what Mega Millions officials said was already going to be a world record for lottery winnings.

The jackpot initially was estimated at $476 million, and then $500 million, but stronger-than-anticipated sales nationwide have helped push up the figure, lottery officials told CNN on Thursday.

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The winner could get $19.2 million a year for 26 years or a single payment worth $359 million. The next drawing is Friday at 11 p.m., The Associated Press reported.

The odds of winning the $540 million jackpot were estimated at about 1 in 176 million, lottery officials told Yahoo! News.

Ticket sales were brisk across the country Thursday, and with so many players playing so many different number combinations, “There’s a good likelihood someone will hit it tomorrow," California lottery spokesman Elias Dominguez told the Los Angeles Times.

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“Somebody’s life is going to change,” Dominguez told the newspaper. “It’s really exciting.”  

The previous world record lottery jackpot, according to Mega Millions, was its $390 million prize in March 2007. That jackpot was split by winners in Georgia and New Jersey.