For just the 2nd time, the Powerball® and Mega Millions® jackpots have simultaneously topped $700 million.
Powerball faces the next big test in its drawing tonight. The game’s jackpot stands at an estimated $1 billion annuity, $516.8 million lump-sum value, the 3rd-largest jackpot in Powerball history.
There was no jackpot winner in last night’s Mega Millions drawing, so that game’s grand prize has climbed to an estimated $720 million annuity, $369.6 million lump-sum option for its next drawing on Friday. That’s the 5th-largest jackpot in the history of that game.
The Latest Winning Numbers, Iowa Prize Totals and Sales
The winning numbers in last night’s Mega Millions drawing were: 19-22-31-37-54 and Mega Ball 18. The Megaplier® number was 4. Iowa Lottery players won a total of 17,928 prizes in the drawing.
Iowa players bought more than $1 million in Mega Millions tickets for last night’s drawing. But the average Mega Millions purchase in Iowa for the drawing remained about $5, or about two plays per ticket.
Do The Odds Get Longer As the Jackpot Grows?
When the jackpots climb into the stratosphere like they are now, we get more player questions, and this is one we’ve seen a lot: Are the odds of winning tougher when the jackpot is high and more people are buying tickets?
The answer: No.
The odds of winning in Powerball and Mega Millions do not change. They are the same for every ticket purchased in the game and every drawing, regardless of the jackpot amount or how many tickets are sold for that drawing.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million because that’s how many ways the numbers available in the game can be combined to make a play. When the winning numbers are selected, they’re one of about 302.6 million possibilities.
The same thing applies in Powerball: The odds of winning its jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million because that is how many ways the numbers available in the game can be combined to make a play.
How Are The Jackpots Growing By Such Big Amounts?
As the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have continued to climb, the amounts by which they are increasing between drawings have grown larger.
Sales are a driving factor behind the jackpot amount. And sales follow the jackpot up. As the jackpot climbs, sales increase along with it, which in turn causes the jackpot to climb even higher.
When the jackpots are as large as they are now, they can increase by hundreds of millions of dollars between drawings. That shows just how many people are playing the games, all across the country.
Please Play Responsibly
And as always, remember to play with your head, not over your head. It only takes one ticket to win.
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