Update on March 28: The Powerball jackpot has made it through another drawing, now standing at an estimated $935 million annuity, $449.7 million lump-sum option for the game's next drawing on Saturday. That's still the 5th-largest jackpot in the history of the game.
An Iowa ticket came within 1 number of last night's jackpot! It matched 4 of the first 5 numbers and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. That ticket was purchased at Casey's, 1125 N. Hickory Blvd. in Pleasant Hill.
The Mega Millions® giant jackpot run has ended, while Powerball® is still going. Three Iowa tickets were just 1 number away from having a share of last night’s Mega Millions jackpot that topped $1 billion.
The $1.13 billion jackpot in last night’s Mega Millions drawing was won with a ticket in New Jersey.
With that game’s grand prize now returning to its starting amount, the bulk of the jackpot attention turns to Powerball, where its jackpot stands at an estimated $865 million annuity, $416.1 million lump-sum option for the game’s next drawing tonight. That’s the 5th-largest jackpot in the history of that game.
This week marked the first time that the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots had simultaneously topped $800 million.
Total Prizes Won Last Night In Iowa
Iowa Lottery players won a total of 25,018 prizes in last night’s Mega Millions drawing ranging from $2 up to $20,000.
Three Iowa tickets were just 1 number away from having a share of the jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball in last night’s drawing. One of those tickets won a $10,000 prize, while two won a $20,000 prize. The players who bought the $20,000-winning tickets added the Megaplier® option to their purchase, which doubled their prize.
The $20,000-winning tickets were purchased at: Kum & Go, 165 SW Magazine Road in Ankeny and Amoco Jet Stop, 2760 Mount Pleasant St. in Burlington.
The $10,000-winning ticket was purchased at: Kwik Star, 2685 Dodge St. in Dubuque.
Those three prizes can be claimed at any Iowa Lottery office. If the winners have questions before claiming their prize, they’re welcome to call us at the Iowa Lottery at 515-725-7900 or email us at [email protected].
The winning numbers in last night’s Mega Millions drawing were: 7-11-22-29-38 and Mega Ball 4. The Megaplier number was 2.
Could One Person Win Both Jackpots?
With one of the giant jackpots being won but the other still going, this question has come up: Could one person win the jackpot in both games?
The short answer is: Yes. But the odds of that occurring are extremely long.
The odds of winning the jackpot in Mega Millions are about 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 292.2 million. (Those figures are based upon the total number of combinations available to play in each game.)
To calculate the odds of winning both jackpots, you multiply 302.6 million by 292.2 million.
There are a lot of zeroes involved in the outcome! The odds of winning both jackpots are about 1 in 88.5 quadrillion (that’s 88,500,000,000,000,000).
Winning both jackpots is something fun to daydream about, but it’s perhaps the ultimate long shot. That’s why the Iowa Lottery emphasizes healthy play. Have fun playing the lottery, but remember to play with your head, not over your head.
A Note About ‘Coverage’
By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how many of all the possible combinations in a game have been purchased for a particular drawing. It’s called coverage – how many of the combinations have been purchased, or “covered.”
The coverage estimate for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing was about 25 percent. The coverage estimate for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing is currently about 13.5 percent.
A higher coverage percentage can mean it’s more likely there will be a jackpot winner, but it is not a definite.
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