Lottery hopefuls grab tickets ahead of Friday's $970M Mega Millions drawing

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Excitement is brewing as residents across the Philadelphia area scramble to grab their tickets ahead of tonight's Mega Millions drawing.

Friday morning, the Mega Millions jackpot stood at an all-time high of $970 million dollars, though the largest lottery jackpot was a $1.6 billion Powerball prize won in January 2016. The cash payout for that jackpot is estimated to be around $550 million.

The jackpot has been growing since July, when some California office workers won $543 million.

FOX 29's Steve Keeley stopped by a local 7-Eleven Friday morning to check in on folks who were lining up to get their tickets before Friday's drawing.

Pennsylvania residents may be feeling a little lucky this time around with $1 million tickets being sold in Delaware County and Bucks County earlier this week.

Even the Philadelphia Eagles are getting in on the action. Defensive end Chris Long took to social media to explain that the team's defensive line had all combined their tickets to increase their odds of winning. Long also joked that he was announcing his retirement, should he win the jackpot.

Mega Millions is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.