Winning Lotto Numbers

Winning Lotto Numbers, The record-setting $640-million-plus Mega Millions lottery jackpot numbers drawn Friday night: 2 – 4- 23 – 38 – 46, Megaball 23

The number of winners, if any, isn’t instantly known. Information on how many winning tickets were sold and in which states will be released overnight. The Pennsylvania Lottery website will have more information.

Across the country, Americans plunked down an estimated $1.5 billion on the longest of long shots: an infinitesimally small chance to win what could end up being the single biggest lottery payout the world has ever seen.

But forget about how the $640 million Mega Millions jackpot could change the life of the winner. It’s a collective wager that could fund a presidential campaign several times over, make a dent in struggling state budgets or take away the gas worries and grocery bills for thousands of middle-class citizens.

And it’s a cheap investment for the chance of a big reward, no matter how long the odds — 1 in 176 million.

For the states that participate, the money spent on lotto tickets doesn’t all end up as the winner’s personal fortune — much of it is used by states to fund education and other social service programs, which is why advocates promote the lottery. In Pennsylvania, it funds senior citizen programs.

Though the specifics vary among the 42 participating states and the District of Columbia, about half of ticket sales go into the actual jackpot. Another 35 percent goes to support government services and programs, while the rest funds lottery operating costs.