Jackpot up to $970 million for Christmas Eve draw

How does a ticket that could win nearly $1 billion sound like a Christmas present?

There hasn’t been a Mega Millions winner in months, which means a $970 million jackpot is up for grabs for the Christmas Eve drawing. The cash option is $439.9 million.

You can only see the drawn numbers LIVE on Kanal 2 tonight before WSB Tonight at 23:00

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Since 2002, there have been 13 Mega Million jackpot winners in December. The odds of winning are 1 in 300 million. But Charles Seltzer is not discouraged.

“You just never know what the universe has in store for you. You can’t win if you don’t play,” Seltzer shared Candace McCowan from Channel 2.

Shaquon Davenport is not discouraged either.

“I’m a manifester. Big on that,” Davenport said. “This is the winning ticket.”

The odds are slim, but in the spirit of the holidays, people like Seltzer and Davenport are hopeful and know what they would do with the prize if they won.

“I wanted to bless my family, I wanted to bless myself and I wanted to bless anyone who needs help,” Davenport said.

“A vacation, a vacation and I could give, make some other people happy. That’s most important, I want to give a lot away,” said Seltzer.

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In Georgia, winners have 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prizes. The most recent jackpot winner from Georgia was $478.2 million Powerball jackpot in October.

Georgia Lottery Corp. has made significant contributions to the state’s education programs and since its inception has returned over $28.3 billion.

All proceeds from the lottery support initiatives such as Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and the state’s Pre-K Program.

More than 2.1 million students have benefited from HOPE scholarships, and over 2 million 4-year-olds have participated in the voluntary kindergarten program across the country.

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