Mega Millions Jackpots Not Growing Faster In The $5 Era

As we inch closer to the first official day of summer this week, Mega Millions is inching closer to jackpot territory that gets people talking.

Nobody won the top prize last Friday — numbers 8, 10, 22, 40, 47, and a gold Mega Ball of 1 — pushing Tuesday night’s jackpot to an estimated $280 million.

This marked the 16th draw without a winner.

There were also no ticket-holders who matched all five white balls, so no new millionaires were crowned.

Lottery Geeks estimates 6.3 million tickets were sold for that drawing.

There is, however, a little bit of meh news, and that relates to the $5 price point.

The rise in price came with promises from the Mega Millions folks that jackpots would soar as a result.

But they haven’t. In fact, the jackpots are smaller.

The last time Mega Millions went this long without a winner wasn’t terribly long ago: March 18 of this year. That drawing — like Tuesday’s, the 17th since the last winner — was for $301 million. This drawing is for considerably less.

Of course, we don’t know what will happen next. If nobody wins a few more times and the jackpot gets into that “people are talking” category, maybe it will start growing exponentially.

But in the meantime, the rise from $2 to $5 has been mostly a yawn.

Powerball cracks $100 million

Nobody won Monday night’s Powerball jackpot — numbers 17, 21, 23, 27, 52, a red Powerball of 19 — which makes Wednesday’s top prize worth $101 million.

There were also no Match 5 winners Monday.

Lottery Geeks estimates 6.6 million tickets were sold for Monday’s drawing.

Tickets for Mega Millions cost $5, while Powerball tickets cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option for Powerball — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1. Mega Millions comes with an automatic multiplier for any prize except the jackpot.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California