Lotto Matrix: Growing Mega And Quirky Powerball Draws

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth?

Mega Millions continues to hold “Big Boy” status with a jackpot worth $303 million. Those needing immediate funds to throw the mother of all Super Bowl parties Feb. 8 can claim a $136.7 million cash option.

Heading into the final drawing of the month, there have been six players who came a Mega Ball short of the jackpot. Last Friday’s drawing had a $3 million ticket sold California and a $2 million one purchased in New York. Those six players racked up prizes worth a combined $16 million.

While the like-for-like comparisons do not begin until April following last year’s changeover to the $5 ticket, January 2025 also saw six tickets sold that lacked only the Mega Ball. Estimated ticket sales were slightly higher, with last Friday’s drawing potentially surpassing $6 million.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? 

The fourth drawing since a winning ticket for the $209 million jackpot sold in North Carolina for the Jan. 21 drawing is worth $57 million, with a tidy cash option of $25.8 million. Powerball currently has a second-prize drought of four drawings as no one has matched five numbers without the Powerball since someone in New Jersey did so Jan. 19.

Monday night’s drawing brought the return of a quirk of sorts as 51, 60, and 63 were drawn. It was already the second time this year a drawing had three white balls with numbers 50 or higher, and the fifth time in the last 24 drawings that has occurred. Twelve tickets matched all five numbers without the Powerball in those five drawings, with eight winners Dec. 17.

Pulling three of 19 numbers not associated with birthdays (1-12 for months, 1-31 for days) was a likely contributor to a year-low 226,199 winners of any prize; the previous low was 353,733 on Jan. 5. For those of you into patterns, seven of the 12 drawings in 2026 have had at least two white balls with numbers 50 or higher.

Speaking of the Tar Heel State

The winner of the aforementioned Powerball jackpot stepped forward Wednesday to claim their prize in Raleigh. The winner wished to remain anonymous, a designation that will carry for 90 days per state law for any winner who claims a prize of $50 million or more.

The winner opted for the lump sum payment of $95.3 million, which netted them $68.6 million after federal and state tax withholdings.

A pair of ‘Figure 8s’

Illinois and New Jersey both had eight-figure jackpot winners for their state-run lotteries last weekend. In the Land of Lincoln, truenorth in Bartlett was the location that sold a ticket that matched the numbers 5-6-8-27-40-50 for an $11.6 million jackpot last Saturday.

Over in the Garden State, a Shop Rite in Waretown sold a winning ticket worth $12.3 million that contained the numbers 07, 09, 10, 17, 25, and 30. The New Jersey Lottery reported the winner opted for the cash option, which meant a payout of $5.6 million.

This weekend will surely be unforgettable for one particular Lottery player,” New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James Carey said. “Hopefully this will be the start of many other life-changing jackpots to come this year!”

No digital play in Hoosier State this year

The Indiana state legislature will not be taking up a bill that would have allowed the Hoosier Lottery to sell tickets online and host instant games on its website.

Though House Bill 1078 sponsored by Rep. Ethan Manning advanced from the Public Policy committee Jan. 8, it did not come up for a full vote in the lower chamber. Manning told the Indiana Capital Chronicle his bill did not have enough support from either caucus to have a path forward.

“We’re clearly not ready, as a Legislature, to move any further on any forms of online gambling,” said Manning, who has long been a proponent of bringing online casino gaming to Indiana.

Newsworthy nuggets

New Jersey adds to Lottery Commission: The New Jersey Lottery on Wednesday swore in Jimmy Jung as a new member to the commission. Jung was appointed by previous Gov. Phil Murphy and confirmed by the state Senate on Jan. 12.

Jung, who is also senior vice chancellor at Rutgers-Camden, holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in educational psychology with a specialization in quantitative methods from the City University of New York Graduate Center. He also holds a master’s degree in applied statistics from the CUNY Graduate Center and a master’s degree in psychology from the City College of New York.

Jung has also served on advisory boards for IBM, SPSS, and McGraw-Hill. One key area of expertise the commission will likely leverage is his advanced data modeling.

It’s never too early to put the word out: Staying in the Garden State, lottery officials are on the lookout for a Cash 5 winner who has until March 25 to redeem a $1.5 million ticket. The person purchased said ticket at La Bodega, 2501 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City, on March 25, 2025.

Virginia details Millionaire for Life launch: The Virginia Lottery confirmed Tuesday it will be among 33 states that will participate in the new Millionaire for Life game that will debut Feb. 22. The twist in the Old Dominion is that the $5 tickets for the game will be available only online at first, and retail sales are scheduled to begin in June.

“We think Virginians will be excited by this new game with its amazing top prize,” said Executive Director Khalid Jones. “We’ve found that younger players in particular tend to focus on ‘for life’ prizes, such as those offered by this game.”

Millionaire for Life will replace the Virginia Lottery’s Cash4Life, which will have its final drawing Feb. 21.

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot? The top three continued to hold steady with California, Florida, and Texas remaining on the podium in the same order.

California’s jackpot ticked higher to $24 million (cash option $10.9 million) after two drawings came and went without a winner. Florida created slightly more separation between itself and Texas for the No. 2 spot. Florida’s jackpot for Saturday night is $20.5 million while the Lone Star State checks in with $19.25 million and a cash option of $10.5 million.

With Illinois and New Jersey both hitting the reset button last weekend, Massachusetts finally crashes the top five with $11.3 million available for its Saturday night drawing. The other newcomer this week is Washington, where the Lotto has a top prize of $8.2 million and a cash option of $4.1 million.

The multi-state Lotto America has a drawing Saturday with a $14.3 million jackpot, and the winner can opt for the $6.46 million cash option.

Until next week, dream big, check your numbers, keep your tickets where you can find them, and play responsibly!