Mega Millions Posts 3-22-34-54-61 for $296 Million Jackpot

6 articles · Updated · NorthJersey.com · May 23

$296 million was at stake in Mega Millions' May 22 drawing, which produced winning numbers 3, 22, 34, 54, 61 and Mega Ball 8; the cash option was $128.6 million.
The jackpot had been rolling since an Ohio ticket won $60 million on March 17, pushing the prize close to the game's biggest tiers.
Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m., with tickets now costing $5 and including a built-in multiplier of up to 10x on non-jackpot prizes.
The game is sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while Powerball's jackpot stood at $131 million for players weighing the two national lotteries.

Since Mega Millions tickets jumped to $5, have the promised bigger, faster jackpots actually materialized for players?

With odds of 1 in 290 million, what psychological tricks make us believe we could actually win the lottery?

Experts say to stay silent after a jackpot win. But is keeping a massive secret like this even possible?