From blimps to Galley Boys for life: What can you buy with $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot?

Shannon Coan, Akron Beacon Journal
·3 min read
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As the jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions drawing surpasses $1 billion, the question remains: what can you buy with $1 billion?

Friday night's Mega Millions drawing is listed at $1.02 billion, making it the third time in Mega Millions history that the jackpot has surpassed the $1 billion mark.

Jackpot winners can also choose to be paid $602.5 million cash.

Mega Millions: Mega Millions jackpot tops $1 billion after no winners Tuesday. Here's how to play

So what can you buy with a lump sum roughly five times the size of the University of Akron's endowment?

A lot but not everything.

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez watches the flight of his RBI-single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Monday, July 25, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez watches the flight of his RBI-single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Monday, July 25, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

You can't buy the Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Browns with $1 billion

Although it's no small change, $1 billion is still too little to buy any of the Cleveland major league sports teams. That figure would get you closest to affording the Cleveland Guardians, which Forbes values at $1.3 billion. The Cavaliers come next closest at $1.65 billion and are followed by the Browns at $2.6 billion.

You'd have better luck trying to buy the Akron RubberDucks. Minor league baseball's 20 most valuable teams were worth an average of $37.5 million in 2017.

Cars drive slowly past the Goodyear blimp in 2018 after dropping off toys at the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake hangar in Suffield Township.
Cars drive slowly past the Goodyear blimp in 2018 after dropping off toys at the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake hangar in Suffield Township.

You could buy many Goodyear blimps for $1 billion

Ever wanted to take a ride in the Goodyear blimp?  Well, you could own a fleet of them if you won the jackpot. The cost of the airship is reportedly around $21 million.

You can buy any home in Summit county for $1 billion

The sum means that you could easily afford a house (or 5,000 of them) in Summit County. A typical Summit County home listed for $184,900 in June.

It's still plenty to buy one of the most expensive homes in Summit County: LeBron James' home in Bath, which the county's fiscal office appraised at $9.53 million in 2017.

Most presidential elections are contentious. Some more than others.
Most presidential elections are contentious. Some more than others.

You can buy two White Houses for $1 billion

But if you wanted to aim a little higher, you’d only be handing over around half of the jackpot to buy the White House. Real-estate listings firm Zillow puts the worth of the president's home at $469.5 million.

A version of "Salvator Mundi," attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop, is included in the Louvre's new exhibit on the Renaissance master. Another more controversial version, attributed to Leonardo himself, sold to an unnamed buyer at a 2017 auction for a record $450 million, but it is absent from the exhibit.
A version of "Salvator Mundi," attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop, is included in the Louvre's new exhibit on the Renaissance master. Another more controversial version, attributed to Leonardo himself, sold to an unnamed buyer at a 2017 auction for a record $450 million, but it is absent from the exhibit.

You can buy Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" paintings for $1 billion

The jackpot could also get you a lot of nice art. The most expensive painting ever sold was Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," which sold for a record $450 million in 2017.

You can buy Chipotle and Swenson's Galley Boys food daily for multiple lifetimes

Craving some Chipotle? The jackpot is more than enough for a lifetime supply of burritos from the chain restaurant. With $1 billion, you could buy a burrito every day for more than 250 years and still not run out of funds. No need to skimp on the guacamole or queso next time you visit.

The same is true for a Swenson's Galley Boy (one a day for almost 600 years) or a Starbuck's grande iced vanilla latte (one a day for over 500 years).

The Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $530 million for the drawing on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. No one has won the Mega Millions since April 15, when a ticket in Tennessee won $20 million. If someone were to win the current jackpot at $530 million, it would be among the top 10 largest Mega Millions jackpots ever, according to the lottery
The Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $530 million for the drawing on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. No one has won the Mega Millions since April 15, when a ticket in Tennessee won $20 million. If someone were to win the current jackpot at $530 million, it would be among the top 10 largest Mega Millions jackpots ever, according to the lottery

And if you ever wanted to try to win the lottery again, you could buy 10 $2 lottery tickets a day for the next 140 years.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What can you buy with $1 billion if you win the Mega Millions jackpot?