For just the 4th time, the Powerball® and Mega Millions® jackpots have hit or topped the $600 million mark at the same time.
Mega Millions faces its next big test in its drawing tonight. That game’s jackpot stands at an estimated $815 million annuity, $385.1 million lump-sum amount, for tonight’s drawing. That’s the 6th-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
The Powerball jackpot stands at an estimated $600 million annuity, $285.9 million lump-sum amount, for its next drawing tomorrow night. And while that amount is huge, it’s not yet in the Top 10 for jackpots in the Powerball game.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing for more than three months. It was last won on Dec. 8. The Powerball jackpot has been growing for more than two months, last won on New Year’s Day.
The three previous times that the jackpots have simultaneously reached $600 million or higher were in 2018, 2021 and 2023.
The Deadline To Buy
Remember that the deadline in Iowa to buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings is 8:59 p.m. on the night of the drawing. If you buy a ticket after that, it will be for an upcoming drawing and you won’t be in the running for that night’s giant prize.
Truth vs. Myth: Do The Odds Get Longer As the Jackpot Grows?
Here’s a truth or myth question we get a lot at the lottery: Are the odds of winning tougher when the jackpot is high and more people are buying tickets?
The answer: No. That’s a myth.
The odds of winning in Powerball and Mega Millions do not change. They’re based upon the numbers you can play in the game, not how many tickets have been purchased.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million because that is how many ways the numbers available to play 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 definition 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.
Play Healthy
As always, the Iowa Lottery reminds everyone that it only takes one ticket to win. Have fun playing, but set a limit and stay within it for how much you’ll spend. Playing the lottery is something to do just for fun.
The Iowa Lottery keeps these and other Play Smart, Be Informed details on its website. Whether you play the lottery or not, we want everyone to have an accurate understanding of how the lottery works!
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