Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $970M
Winning ticket for $731.1M Powerball prize sold in Maryland
DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery players will have another shot Friday night at the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history, but one lucky Powerball ticket buyer in Maryland won a $731.1 million prize.
The Mega Millions top prize climbed to an estimated $970 million, the biggest jackpot in more than two years.
Winning numbers for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing were: 40-53-60-68-69 and a Powerball of 22.
The numbers in Tuesday’s
Mega Millions drawing were 10-19-26-28-50 with a Mega Ball of 16.
It’s the first time both lottery jackpots topped $700 million.
The biggest prize was a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since Sept. 15, allowing the prize to grow larger and larger over four months.
Such big jackpots are rare, but both games rely on incredibly long odds to generate attention and increase sales.
For Mega Millions, the odds of matching all six numbers is 1 in
302.5 million, and for Powerball it’s 1 in 292.2 million.
The prizes listed are for winners who choose an annuity option, paid over 30 years.
Winners almost always opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $716.3 million and for Powerball $546 million.
Those prizes are also subject to federal taxes, and most states take a cut as well.
Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Powerball also is offered in Puerto Rico.