Having a lottery jackpot is a dream for many. However, the odds are long. They are about one in 292 million. And if you want to win the Mega Millions lottery, you must be prepared to pay taxes on your winnings.

The first question you should ask yourself is if you want to take your prize all at once, or pay it over 30 years in annuity payments. The annuity option would mean your payment would be reduced by federal taxes, which may be further reduced by local and city taxes.

A second decision you must make is whether or not you want to use a trust to keep your identity secret. This way, you can avoid having your name publicly known, which may protect you against scammers.

If you choose to take your prize in a lump sum, your payment will be less than half of the advertised amount. That is because lottery organizers want to divert more money toward bigger jackpots. The larger the jackpot, the more money they will need to raise.

The Powerball jackpot is the largest in the game’s history. The drawing took place on Wednesday night. The jackpot reached $782.4 million. Previously, it had been a $1 billion jackpot. Since then, it has climbed to $1.6 billion.

The jackpot for the Mega Millions jackpot is the second-largest in the history of the game. The jackpot is a mixture of ticket revenue and prize pool funds. A spokesperson for the Mega Millions told ABC News in 2018 that 50% of the ticket revenue goes to the prize pool. And states use the remaining cash to support educational and social programs.