America: Lotteries, Jorts, And Three-Day Weekends

The July 4 holiday weekend is upon us and, quite frankly, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The country? Politically divided. The proposed federal budget? No one is happy. The world? In flames.

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s this: A three-day weekend is the bee’s knees. That’s a political winner right there. Campaign on the promise of three-day weekends, and you can be the next president.

Of course, the best part of the holiday falling on a Friday is Thursday afternoon at work is on life support. Not much is getting done. It should really just be a four-day holiday weekend. 

Of course, you do that, then Wednesday afternoon is dead, meaning we should probably just make it a five-day weekend and …

You know what? It should be a week-long celebration.

Speaking of things that are uniquely American, how about our appetite for getting something for virtually nothing? On that end, is there anything better than plunking down $2 for a Powerball ticket in hopes of turning it into life-changing money? Honestly, no, there’s probably nothing better.

America. Love it or leave it, bub. Light some firecrackers, eat a hot dog, drink a Coors, buy a lottery ticket, live the rest of your life in jorts. EZ game, as they say.

Powerball is up to an estimated $190 million for Saturday night’s drawing after nobody took home the bacon Wednesday night. 

The numbers were 7, 19, 21, 54, 63, and a red Powerball of 21. There were no Match 5 winners.

This was the 14th drawing since the last time the jackpot hit, back on May 31 for $207 million.

Lottery Geeks estimates 8.9 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.

Mega starts anew

After last Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot prize was claimed, the whole shebang started over Tuesday, when nobody won the $50 million jackpot.

The numbers Tuesday were 19, 28, 31, 39, 54, and a gold Mega Ball of 5. Nobody hit all five white balls.

Lottery Geeks estimates 4.5 million tickets were sold for the drawing, and Friday night’s drawing is for $60 million.

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