Texas Tickets Staying Hot As Mega Millions Jackpot Approaches $400M

The Mega Millions jackpot just keeps swelling — now up to an estimated $387 million for Friday night’s drawing, with a cash value of $181.4 million.

This will be the 19th drawing since the last time the top prize was awarded. That win came on Sept. 10, when a ticket buyer in Texas took home a whopping $810 million jackpot.

On Tuesday, in the most recent Mega Millions draw, another Texas customer did all right for themselves, getting the five white balls correct (but not the gold Mega Ball) while playing the 3x Megaplier, for a total haul of $3 million before taxes. That ticket was sold in San Antonio.

The winning numbers Tuesday were 18, 31, 33, 64, and 68, while a gold Mega Ball of 17.

By Lottery Geeks’ estimates, about 16.3 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s drawing.

Powerball not a bad prize either

There was no winner in Wednesday’s Powerball lottery, pushing Saturday night’s jackpot to an estimated $130 million, with a cash value of $61.4 million.

The winning numbers for Wednesday’s drawing were 9, 20, 26, 43, and 58, and a red Powerball of 9. One California resident hit the Match 5, winning an even $1 million.

Lottery Geeks estimates nearly 8.8 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing, which was the ninth since the last jackpot winner. That big score came on Oct. 23, when a ticket worth $478 million was sold in Georgia.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the prize multiplier option 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