Islanders Purchase $50K in Mega Millions Tickets; Will Share Pot With Staff, Fans

The New York Islanders are playing the Mega Millions lottery to do something good for their fans, employees and charity organizations.

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, the Islanders spent $50,000 on 25,000 Mega Millions tickets for Friday's drawing.

If the team hits the jackpot, it will split the net winnings between full-season ticket members, suite holders, staff and Islanders Children’s Foundation charity.

Wyshynski also noted if the total winnings for the Isles come to less than $250,000, the entire amount will be donated to the team's Children's Foundation.

Friday's drawing is up to $1.28 billion, the third-largest in lottery history. The biggest jackpot ever was a $1.586 billion in the Powerball that was split by three different winners in January 2016.

This will mark the second time in Mega Millions history with a $1 billion jackpot. The first was a $1.537 billion pot that was won by a player in South Carolina in October 2018. It's the largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket.

Per CNN's Paul P. Murphy, the cash value option is $742.2 million if there is a winner.

If you happen to win the Mega Millions and take the cash value option, you could theoretically purchase an NHL franchise.

Per a December 2021 piece from Mike Ozanian of Forbes, there are 17 clubs valued at less than $742.2 million. If you wanted to try finding another investor who can chip in some additional money, you can add the New Jersey Devils ($775 million valuation) to the list.

No one has won a Mega Millions jackpot since April 15, a streak of 29 draws. Per the Mega Millions' release, nine tickets did match all five white balls from Tuesday's drawing. One of those winners received $3 million because it included the megaplier. The remaining eight winners collected $1 million each.