Powerball Jackpot Crosses $200 Million, Mega Millions Back To $20 Million For Weekend Drawings

And just like that, the dynamic flips. After a couple of months of Mega Millions offering the biggest jackpots in the U.S. draw lottery sphere, it’s now Powerball that is able to promote the far more lucrative prize.

Because the Mega Millions jackpot hit on Tuesday for a lucky online lottery player in Illinois, that grand prize has been reset to $20 million for Friday night’s drawing. Powerball, meanwhile, has climbed to more than 10 times that amount, with an estimated jackpot of $206 million on the line Saturday.

If a winner chooses the lump-sum cash payment, Mega Millions is worth $9.4 million and Powerball an estimated $95.7 million.

The Mega Millions jackpot had rolled over 19 consecutive times, between the March 26 win and the June 4 hit, soaring past the half-billion-dollar mark.

The Powerball jackpot was claimed twice during that period, on April 6 and then May 6, making it consistently second-best for the last two months. But it now has rolled over 13 times, turning Powerball into the far better expected-value play this weekend.

The humpday results

The unlucky 13th of those Powerball draws came Wednesday, when the numbers pulled were 8, 44, 45, 51, and 69, with a red Powerball of 12.

One player in California went for 5-for-5 on the white balls but missed the red Powerball, earning a $1 million prize. Three additional tickets earned $150,000 by matching everything except one white ball and playing the 3x Power Play multiplier, and six tickets won $50,000 for the same result without the Power Play.

Lottery Geeks estimates some 10.25 million tickets were sold for the Wednesday Powerball draw, when the estimated jackpot was $187 million.

Tickets for either draw lottery cost $2, with an option in some states to play the Power Play or Megaplier for an extra $1.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are available in every state except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets can also be purchased in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while Puerto Rico sells Powerball tickets only.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. For Powerball, the grand prize odds are 1 in 292,201,338.

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