Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot Rises As Monopoly Millionaires Club Hands Out First-Ever Jackpot 

The Mega Millions lottery jackpot continues to rebuild with no new winner on Friday. With a massive $321 million jackpot won just two weeks ago, the nationwide lottery game has now seen three drawings without a winner, pushing next Tuesday’s jackpot to $35 million.

But also this week, the newest multi-state lottery game, Monopoly Millionaires Club, saw the first jackpot winner in its brief history pick up his check — in New Jersey, home of Atlantic City, the inspiration for the iconic Monopoly board that in turn plays an integral role in the new lottery game.

In addition to bearing a name that’s a mouthful to say, Monopoly Millionaires Club also carries a complicated set of rules. The Inquisitr published a brief overview of how to play the game, which you can review by clicking here.

But one of the new game’s unusual features is that, unlike with Mega Millions, a designated number of second prize, million-dollar winners are picked — but only when someone wins the top jackpot. Monopoly Millionaires Club tickets also cost $5. That’s five times the price of a Mega Millions ticket.

On November 7, in just the third drawing since Monopoly Millionaires Club began, one person hit the top jackpot of $21 million.

Wayne O’Keefe, a 65-year-old veteran of two tours in Vietnam, beat the 72.8 million-to-one odds — odds which, though still astronomical, are actually more than three times more favorable than Mega Millions — to take the historic first win in the Monopoly-based lottery.

O’Keefe picked up the symbolic check accompanied by his wife Stacie and 22-year-old son, Wayne Jr., who showed up in his combat fatigues. Wayne Jr. is a member of the Army National Guard.

In his brief press conference, O’Keefe praised his son, and all military veterans. He selected the single-payment cash option, so prior to tax withholding, the Vietnam vet will receive $12,804,878.

In addition to making O’Keefe a new millionaire, the new lottery game added 14 other winners to the “millionaires club.” But though the game’s advertised gimmick is that it makes more millionaires than any other lottery game, the fact is that the total of 15 is not even the most millionaires in a single lottery drawing this year.

On February 19, the Powerball lottery saw one person win a $425 million jackpot. But with more than 91 million tickets sold, 17 more players won a $1 million second prize, and one, who had activated the Power Play option, won $2 million, creating 19 millionaires in a single lottery drawing.

No one became a millionaire from Friday’s Mega Millions lottery drawing, but there was still more than $1.8 million in prize money won. To see if any of that cash is yours, check your November 14 Mega Millions ticket against these numbers, drawn at 11:59 pm in Atlanta, Georgia:

3 — 49 — 61 — 62 — 68 Mega Ball 15

Tuesday’s Mega Millions lottery jackpot carries a single-payment cash value of $21 million.