Mega Millions Jackpot Exhales To $453 Million For Friday’s Drawing

Well, no one celebrated with a fat spliff Tuesday night, as the $420 million Mega Millions jackpot was not won.

That’s the bad news for everyone who played Mega Millions that day. But with it comes good news: Friday night’s drawing — the 21st since the last grand prize winner was crowned — is up to an estimated $453 million with a cash value of $209.6 million.

And while no one won the $420 million pot (heh heh), two lucky players paired all five white balls on Tuesday to win a million bucks each.

The winners, from Pennsylvania and Texas, matched 5, 35, 50, 51, and 59, but missed out on the gold Mega Ball of 8.

Lottery Geeks estimates 19.5 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s drawing, which was up from last Friday’s 16.7 million. Apparently a few million people were as tickled by the $420 million number as the editorial staff over here.

Lucky number 13 for Powerball

Nobody won Wednesday night’s Powerball jackpot either, thus elevating Saturday’s top prize to an estimated $171 million, with a $78.7 million cash value.

This will be the 13th drawing since the last time someone won the Powerball top prize. 

Wednesday’s winning numbers were 16, 30, 60, 62, and 64, with a red Powerball of 25. There were no Match 5 winners.

Lottery Geeks estimates some 8.3 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s draw.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1.

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