UPDATE: Mega Millions raised to $393 million, new combined total is $749 million

First time Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots simultaneously more than $300 million

Both are top 25 US lottery jackpots

by Todd Northrop

Multi-state lottery tickets are pumping out of state lottery ticket machines throughout the United States this week, as both Powerball and Mega Millions have simultaneously reached astronomic heights.

After nobody won Mega Millions on Tuesday and Powerball on Wednesday, the Mega Millions jackpot increased to $382 million, while Powerball leaped to $356 million.  The lump-sum cash options are $238.3 million and $224 million, respectively.

UPDATE Aug. 10, 1:50 p.m.  On Thursday afternoon the Mega Millions consortium raised the estimated Friday jackpot to $393 million, with a cash value of $246.5 million. That makes the combined value of Mega Millions and Powerball this week $749 million, and raises the Friday Mega Millions jackpot to the 17th-largest of all time. The jackpot amounts in the remainder of this article will reflect the new jackpot amounts.

Lottery players are witnessing an event that has never happened before.  It is the first time in history that these two mega jackpot games have synchronized their jackpot rollovers such that they both are above the $300 million mark.

We went back and checked.

The last time it got this close was about a year ago, when a $536 million Mega Millions jackpot was hit on Fri., Jul. 8, 2016, and the next Powerball roll on the following Wed. brought that game's jackpot cresting above $300 million, to $311 million.  A near miss.

In fact, excluding the time Powerball reached $1.6 billion in Jan. 2016, there is only one other time in history when the two multi-state jackpots linked fortunes and put such a large combined prize up for grabs.  In May 2013, Mega Millions' $190 million jackpot synced up with Powerball's $590.5 million grand prize to form a combined $780.5 million fortune.

If history is a guide, run out and buy tickets this week, because both games had their jackpots won that drawing.  The Mega Millions jackpot was split by two tickets purchased in New Jersey and Virginia, and the Powerball jackpot was won by one ticket sold in Florida, claimed by Gloria MacKenzie, 84, of Zephyrhills.

Will that happen this time around? We're not sure, but whatever happens we're in record-setting territory.

Both jackpots are currently in the top 25 all-time US lottery jackpot list — both for the annuity value and the cash value. The complete top 25 lists can be found below.

After the two games were not won Tuesday and Wednesday, both increased their jackpots by roughly $32 million — at least cursory evidence that people are buying tickets for both games at their lottery retailers.  So many tickets were being sold that by draw time both games had raised their jackpots significantly: Mega Millions to $350 million and Powerball to $323.5 million.

Lottery players wanting to see what their take-home loot would be for this week's drawings (after initial taxes are withheld) can check out the Jackpot Analysis for Mega Millions and Jackpot Analysis for Powerball pages at USA Mega.

Both games offer a multiplier feature ("Megaplier" for Mega Millions and "Power Play" for Powerball) that can be purchased for an extra $1 per play.  Players who purchase the multiplier can have their winning non-jackpot prizes multiplied by the random multiplier number drawn that evening.  A nice way to console yourself after someone else wins your jackpot.

Multipliers are available in all states offering the games except California, which bans the type of fixed prize payouts awarded by multipliers.

Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday evening at 11:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Pacific Time), and Powerball drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 10:59 PM Eastern Time (7:59 PM Pacific Time).

Players looking for a nearby lottery retailer are encouraged to use Lottery Places, an app for iOS, Android, and Windows that can located the nearest lottery retailers anywhere in the United States, Mexico, much of Canada, and the Caribbean.

The winning numbers for both games are published minutes after the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com), home of the USA's two mega jackpot games.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

The current Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots currently stand as the 18th- and 22nd-largest lottery jackpots of all time in the United States.  Both positions may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

1. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
3. Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
4. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
5. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
6. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
7. Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Indiana
8. Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 - New Hampshire
9. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
10. Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 - California
11. Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 - Indiana
12. Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
13. Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
14. Powerball: $420.9 million, Nov. 26, 2016 - Tennessee
15. Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
16. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
17. Mega Millions: $393 million, Aug. 11, 2017 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
18. Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
19. Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
20. Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
21. The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
22. Powerball: $356 million, Aug. 12, 2017 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
23. Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
24. Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
25. Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan

The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 17
• Mega Millions: 7
• The Big Game: 1

The Big Game is the original name of Mega Millions, from the game's first drawing on Sep. 6, 1996 through May 14, 2002.  The name was changed to Mega Millions starting with the May 17, 2002 drawing.

Top 25 cash value jackpots

Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.

The upcoming Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots rank as the 15th- and 20th-largest cash values in U.S. history.

1. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
3. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
4. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
5. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
6. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
7. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
8. Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
9. Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
10. Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
11. Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
12. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
13. Powerball: $254.7 million cash, Nov. 26, 2016 ($420.9 million annuity) - Tennessee
14. Mega Millions: $246.5 million cash, Aug. 11, 2017 ($393 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
15. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
16. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
17. Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
18. Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
19. Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
20. Powerball: $224 million cash, Aug. 12, 2017 ($356 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
21. Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
22. Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
23. Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
24. Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
25. Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York

The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 16
• Mega Millions: 9