Nearly $1 billion in multi-state jackpots can be won this week

By Todd Northrop

This week has seen a frenzy of lottery tickets sales across the United States, with both Mega Millions and Powerball simultaneously reaching massive levels. With the Powerball jackpot increasing to $550 million after the Wed. evening drawing, there is now close to $1 billion in combined jackpots on tap for lottery players this week.

Seasoned lottery players keep an eye on the lump-sum cash value of the jackpot, and the initial estimate is just as eye-popping: $347.9 million. And likely to grow even bigger before Saturday.

When compared against all lottery drawings conducted in United States lottery history, Saturday's Powerball jackpot ranks 8th all-time, with the cash value also ranking 8th among all cash values in history. (See the top 25 United States annuity and cash value jackpots below.)

Combined with the current $418 million Mega Millions jackpot to be drawn Friday night, there is a total of $968 million in multi-state jackpots on offer to lottery players right now.

Of course, the big winner (or winners) will have to pay taxes on their prize, so USA Mega has a handy Powerball Jackpot Analysis page available to calculate the federal and state taxes that would be withheld upon the award of your nice big jackpot. A Mega Millions Jackpot Analysis is also available.

Players looking for a nearby lottery retailer — or that out-of-the-way retailer with a smaller line — are encouraged to use Lottery Places, an app for iOS, Android, and Windows that can locate the nearest lottery retailers in every jurisdiction that sells Powerball and Mega Millions. The helpful app can locate lottery stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, much of Canada, and the Caribbean.

This is the largest US lottery jackpot since a Massachusetts woman claimed a $758.7 million Powerball lottery jackpot in August — the biggest lottery prize ever awarded to a single winner. 

Saturday's mammoth jackpot is the result of 20 consecutive draws without a winner.  The run-up started as a $40 million prize on Oct. 28.

The winning numbers for Wednesday, January 3, 2018 were 2, 18, 37, 39, and 42, with Powerball number 12.  The Power Play number was 3.

Even though nobody won the jackpot Wednesday, 6 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from California, 2 from Florida, 1 from New York, 1 from North Carolina, and 1 from Oregon.

Only one of the second-prize winners purchased the Power Play option — one of the tickets sold in Florida.  Because that ticket was purchased with the Power Play option their second-prize win is automatically doubled to $2 million.  Power Play is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered in Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.

92 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000.  Of those tickets, 8 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $150,000, and 7 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $29,087 this drawing.

Following the Wednesday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised a whopping $89.1 million from its previous amount of $460.9 million and the cash value was raised by $56.9 million from its previous amount of $291 million.

The next Powerball drawing will take place Saturday night at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.

When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, any non-jackpot prize is increased according to a fixed prize schedule, which can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.

Powerball is played in 44 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time.  Tickets cost $2 each.

Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com).  The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Saturday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 8th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 6th-largest Powerball jackpot ever.  Brisk sales will almost certainly push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

1. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 - Massachusetts
3. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
4. Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
5. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
6. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
7. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
8. Powerball: $550 million, Jan. 6, 2018 - Initial estimate, not won yet
9. Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Indiana
10. Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 - New Hampshire
11. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
12. Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 - California
13. Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 - Indiana
14. Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
15. Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
16. Powerball: $420.9 million, Nov. 26, 2016 - Tennessee
17. Mega Millions: $418 million, Jan. 5, 2018 - Initial estimate, not won yet
18. Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
19. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
20. Mega Millions: $393 million, Aug. 11, 2017 - Illinois
21. Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
22. Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
23. Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
24. The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
25. Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon

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

• Powerball: 16
• Mega Millions: 8
• 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.

Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Powerball jackpot ranks as the 8th-largest cash value in U.S. history.

1. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
3. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
4. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
5. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
6. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
7. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
8. Powerball: $347.9 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($550 million annuity) - Initial estimate, not won yet
9. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
10. Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
11. Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
12. Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
13. Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
14. Mega Millions: $261 million cash, Jan. 5, 2018 ($418 million annuity) - Initial estimate, not won yet
15. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
16. Powerball: $254.7 million cash, Nov. 26, 2016 ($420.9 million annuity) - Tennessee
17. Mega Millions: $246.5 million cash, Aug. 11, 2017 ($393 million annuity) - Illinois
18. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
19. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
20. Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
21. Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
22. Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
23. Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
24. Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
25. Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey

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

• Powerball: 16
• Mega Millions: 9