The combined jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball skyrocketed to over $ 1 billion on Saturday after Friday night’s draw for Mega Millions did not result in any grand prize winners.
The Powerball pot is $ 470 million, while Mega Millions has reached an incredible $ 600 million.
May Scheve Reardon, executive director of the Missouri Lottery, said in a statement on Friday that it has been a few years since both games have offered such big prizes.
“We want our players to have fun, especially when there are two big jackpots accumulated to start the new year,” said Mega Millions director Gordon Medenica in a press release, urging those who buy a ticket to take security precautions.
“While we always encourage responsible gambling, it is even more important during these difficult times to wear a mask and maintain social distance when purchasing your tickets,” he said.
It is the fourth time in the history of Mega Millions that the pot has reached $ 600 million. It increased after no tickets matched all six numbers – 3, 6, 16, 18 and 58, plus Mega Ball 11 gold – after Friday night’s draw.
Five tickets corresponded to the five white ball numbers in the second prize. They were sold in New York, California, New Jersey, Georgia and Massachusetts.
The next Mega Millions draw is Tuesday. If there is a grand prize winner, the cash option will be $ 442.4 million.
There hasn’t been a jackpot winner since September 2020, when a ticket in Wisconsin won the $ 120 million prize.
The next Powerball draw is on Saturday night. The $ 470 million pot is the tenth largest in history. The grand prize winner can take home $ 362.7 million with the cash option.
The last ticket for the winning jackpot for Powerball was also in September 2020, when a ticket worth more than $ 94 million was sold in New York.
The chances of winning are one in over 300 million, but that doesn’t stop many people from dreaming big.
