Mega Millions Crowns Eight Millionaires, Powerball Goes To Iowa Ahead Of Helene

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, that guy won a million, and seven others did too!

Good luck getting that out of your head for the rest of the day.

Anyway, it’s true: Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing did not yield a jackpot winner, but eight people had tickets worth at least a million dollars each for matching all five white balls. One of those eight purchased the Megaplier, and thus took home $5 million for nailing all of the white balls.

And those white balls? Oh yeah, all “birthday numbers” — 1, 6, 10, 23, and 27. And it’s a minor miracle no one hit the jackpot, as the gold Mega Ball came in at 18, another number that could easily be someone’s birthday.

The last time Mega Millions granted eight people a million dollars was in a drawing last July. So, it had been 14 months since this many people hit the Match 5 at once.

The next drawing is Friday night, with an estimated jackpot of $77 million, with the cash option coming in at $38.2 million. This will be the fifth drawing since the last jackpot hit, an $810 million haul for a ticket sold in Texas. 

Lottery Geeks estimates some 9.8 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s drawing.

From Florida to Iowa

Meanwhile, some drama went down Wednesday night for the Powerball drawing, as it wasn’t broadcast live.

The reason? It was moved from its Tallahassee location at Florida Lottery headquarters to the backup location in Johnston, Iowa, due to Hurricane Helene bearing down on the south.

Regardless, for the 17th consecutive time, no one won the grand prize, pushing Saturday’s jackpot to an estimated $243 million, with a $122.2 million cash option.

Wednesday’s winning numbers — 2, 26, 45, 46, and 52, with a red Powerball of 21 — yielded zero million-dollar winners. No happy birthdays there, alas.

Lottery Geeks estimates about 12.2 million tickets were sold for the drawing.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering a multiplier option for an additional $1.

Both lotteries are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not 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. $1.13 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