$363 Million Jackpot At Stake In Mega Millions As Dry Spell Hits Seven Weeks

The ballooning Mega Millions jackpot is still a long way from record-setting range, but it’s safely into “you’ll never have to work another day in your life” territory.

Tuesday night’s drawing has an estimated jackpot of $363 million, with a lump-sum cash option of $166.9 million. After taxes, that should still equate, depending on which state a winner lives in, to around $100 million. Invested prudently, that ought to be more than enough to tell the boss to kiss your behind goodbye.

The annuity estimate of $363 million would be the 27th largest jackpot in the 22-year history of the Mega Millions lottery game. Mega Millions debuted in 2002, and up until March 2007, $363 million would have represented a record.

The jackpot was last won on March 26 — for $1.13 billion. Tuesday night will mark seven weeks and 14 draws since that massive payout.

TGIF?

The most recent Mega Millions drawing, on Friday, saw neither a six-for-six jackpot winner (for an estimated $331 million) nor a single all-five-white-balls million-dollar prize winner.

The numbers drawn Friday were 13 (a number plenty of lottery enthusiasts avoid when picking their own digits), 22, 26, 32, and 65, with a gold Mega Ball of 18.

Lottery Geeks estimates that about 17.3 million tickets were purchased for that Mega Millions draw.

Tickets, costing $2 (though a price hike to $5 is coming), are available in 45 of the 50 states (all but Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah), as well as in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Slow Powerball news week

Over on the Powerball side of the street, since the $215 million jackpot was claimed in Florida last Monday, May 6, the three subsequent drawings have produced just one millionaire — a player in Michigan last Wednesday.

Both the Saturday draw and this Monday’s draw went “oh-fer” on Match 5 winners.

The most recent draw, Monday, featured the numbers 5, 14, 29, 38, and 66, with a red Powerball of 1. The estimated jackpot was at $48 million for that one.

For Wednesday’s Powerball draw, that jackpot nudges up to $59 million, with an estimated cash value of $27.6 million.

Opinions are likely to vary on whether that’s quit-your-job money after taxes.

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. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California

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. $558.1 million, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California