A record-smashing Mega Millions prize could be awaiting a lucky winner when the multi-state lottery and Powerball kick off a two-day, $1 billion jackpot grab Tuesday night.
The Mega Millions jackpot is currently $654 million, just $2 million short of the multi-state lottery game's record. Powerball's jackpot also represents: There is a top prize of at least $345 million on Wednesday. Both totals are expected to rise.
The bloated payouts are a function of a jackpot drought. Mega Millions last saw a jackpot winner on July 24 when 11 California co-workers shared a cool $543 million — the largest prize ever won on a single Mega Millions ticket.
More than two months ago Powerball hit for the last time when New Yorker Nandlall Mangal was the sole winner of $245.6 million, lottery officials said.
"It's so exciting for our players, and all of us, to see the Mega Millions jackpot getting so close to an all-time record level," said Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium and Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming. "With a little luck, we may still break that record."
If you want all the Mega Millions money up front, the payout on $654 million is a lower but still-impressive $372 million. You can cash out Powerball's $345 million jackpot for $199 million.
You can see the after-tax annuity and cash value amounts on USA Mega's Mega Millions Jackpot Analysis and Powerball Jackpot Analysis. USA Mega (www.usamega.com) is a popular website devoted to the United States' two biggest multi-state games, Powerball and Mega Millions.
And if you prefer math to luck, here is an eye-opening disclaimer: The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 302,575,350 to 1. The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are 292,201,388 to 1. So don't quit your day job just yet.
The Mega Millions record prize of $656 million goes back to March 30, 2012, when winners from Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland split the cash three ways.
And Friday's Mega Millions wasn't a complete bust. There were 2,651,183 "winning" tickets at all prize levels in the Oct. 12 drawing. One ticket, sold in Arkansas, matched the five white balls Friday night to win the game's second prize that, because of a multiplier, cashed in for $3 million.
Fifty-five tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball for the $10,000 third prize; seven of those are actually worth $30,000 each because they included the multiplier.
Three other Mega Millions jackpots have been won this year: $451 million on Jan. 5 (Florida), $533 million on March 30 (New Jersey) and $142 million on May 4 (Ohio).
Last week, Powerball suffered a minor setback when the drawing was moved from Tallahassee, Florida, to Urbandale, Iowa, because of evacuations from Hurricane Michael.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball reaches all those areas plus Puerto Rico. The big jackpots could mean lines at some ticket locations as the drawings near.
Sorta brings a tear to your eye with a combo of almost a Billion dollars ??..."Sorta" being the key word here.. My proposal is to generously offer my services to solely win the PB on Wednesday and help relieve the stress of this conglomeration, thus giving temporary relief of undo pressures caused by excessive concentration on both jackpots. Have no worries fellow posters, I will remain quiet, make certain that I follow all of your advice with lawyers, accountants, investment team, cash option claim, etc etc. Then have legal counsel come forward on my trusts behalf in about 9-12 weeks when 1 or both lottery jackpots are on their massive climb again...... Respectfully yours, CD
I really wish this could have been posted when the numbers actually added up to 1 billion. I know i know just 1 million off but still.
The odds of winning either game are incredible. I am hoping for a Lottery Post member win.
When will Puerto Rico offer Mega Millions?
The IsLand has to recover from a direct hit by a Hurricane. God Bless them!
They haven't even been able to get their website back up & running after the hurricane more than a year ago; I imagine getting Mega Millions will take a long time.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. Citizens. Some have fled their home and are now here in the Mainland. Playing both games. MM & PB.
Todd,
Can't archive when will Mississippi get their lottery OR should I say is it up to the voters there?
Thanks.
A little off-topic for this thread, but the voters have already spoken, and the lottery has been approved and signed by the governor. They will go through months of setting up their new lottery, and the lottery will start some time in 2019. https://www.lotterypost.com/news/322316
Bleudog101, Which State or States will win MegaMillions?
I think the big one won't get won, but think there'll be about fifteen secondary prizes including two in your state.
Funny you ask that, when I called the lottery # early Sat a.m. said to myself somebody won, #'s sounded good. Was I ever wrong!
Thank you Todd even though this was way off subject.
I re-read your article that was unable to archive.
So, you may be wrong and MM gets won. Nobody knows. Although some look at the odds and the number of tickets purchased.
It all depends on how the balls in MM get dropped.
I wouldn't be surprised to see PB get won first.
Are you thinking of a billion dollar jackpot for Mega Millions? Now don't jinx yourself. LOL
I'm not sure what "unable to archive" means. If something is not working, shoot me a PM to tell me about it.
I could see it happening just because there were there are more people buying PB than MM if you look at the amount of tickets bought compared to the level of the jackpots. But no I don't want MM to get much higher.
Doesnt matter. There will still be people here who will nitpick what ever you do and declare based on their own vast experience of winning large jackpots that you are "doing it wrong."
Ehhhhh, it's ok... It's free entertainment, not subject to compliance.
"Doing it wrong" can get you a whole lot of money, you just have to be in the right place at the right time.Remember Gloria Mackenzie? She did it all wrong by letting a sweet lady allow her to " cut in line" on her merry way to a cash lump sum of $370million. Don't let anyone out there, tell you that you doing it wrong, when you know you doing it right!
* Cut in line if you have too, you never know if it will work, until you try.
Yep, the balls are drawn absolutely at random. Might as well pick your numbers at random.
Funny you should say that, but l think back to the Mackenzie win, there were people, even in the forum who suggested that had Gloria not " cut in line" that winning ticket would have gone to the lady that allowed the cut in. The other thing that came up, was that Gloria " owed" this lady and therefore should have given the lady " something."
* Something= a million dollars or two.
I don't want to step on anyone's toes here, but if you are getting quick picks then the difference between a winner and a loser is milliseconds. During the several seconds of someone letting you cut in line there might be hundreds or thousands of tickets sold.
The nooses are tightening around both these jackpots throats. I can't wait, to find out which one is first to kick the bucket.
There will be pages and pages of people calling/implying you're stupid. That's their entertainment.
Remember the woman in NY who played Mega Millions (or it might have been Powerball) thinking she has played the other game and won a jackpot?
She had worked for Rykers prison. I remember she was at the bus stop when she found out she won.
Good recall EnReval....here it is, she wanted to play Powerball but bought a Mega Millions ticket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzIbfvsoXgI
I disagree. One millisecond is all it takes to either have a 500 Million dollar ticket or a 4 dollar ticket. I believe that the only reason anyone at the store won was because a ticket was bought at exactly the right time.