Jackpots Inching Their Way Back Up, Mega Millions Leading The Way At $120M For Friday Drawing

There are no 30-plus-draw winless streaks or billion-dollar jackpots at the moment, but the buildups are back on after the mid-week Mega Millions and Powerball lottery draws both failed to produce any grand-prize winners.

Mega Millions’ draw on Tuesday was its fourth in a row without a winner since the $1.13 billion jackpot smash on March 26, bringing the estimated top prize for Friday night’s drawing to $120 million (cash option: $55.8 million).

And on Wednesday night, Powerball had its second straight jackpot-free draw following last weekend’s $1.33 billion bonanza, setting up a Saturday draw worth an estimated $46 million (cash option: $21.5 million).

Jackpot fever may not be running wild like it was as winter gave way to spring, but, hey, you have to start somewhere — and suffice to say the average American would be pretty excited about an eight- or nine-figure win.

Four new millionaires crowned, including one at 2x

The Mega Millions numbers Tuesday all came in on the high side — bad news for folks who like to play birthdays. The white balls drawn were 34, 43, 51, 52, and 69, with gold Mega Ball 25.

Two players — one in New York and one in Kansas — won $1 million for hitting all five white balls, but neither played the Megaplier, which would have turned those into $4 million wins.

The lower numbers struck in Powerball on Wednesday: 6, 7, 12, 24, and 36, with red Powerball 15.

As with Mega Millions, two players went five-for-five on the white balls and were a red ball away from the jackpot. One in New York won $1 million, while another player in Texas paid an extra dollar for the Power Play and earned a $2 million prize.

The base price for a ticket in either lottery is $2, and they can be purchased in 45 states (all but Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah), and in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus Puerto Rico for Powerball only but not Mega Millions.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the Mega Millions grand prize odds are 1 in 302.6 million.

All-Time Biggest Jackpots

Here a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots, including the two billion-dollar-plus wins in 2024:

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