Win Powerball And Mega Millions, Throw DraftKings A Bone

Attention lottery players: We have crossed the half-billion dollar combined threshold, as Powerball’s estimated jackpot is at $295 million for Wednesday night’s drawing, and Mega Millions is looking at a $215 million top prize for Tuesday night’s drawing.

Yep. That’s $510 million up for grabs.

And if you win both, maybe you can help out DraftKings – parent company of Jackpocket.

Of course, Jackpocket – and all lottery courier service companies – have been in the news of late, as Texas authorities decided the Lone Star State is no place for courier companies to operate. While this may have helped to spook investors (DraftKings stock is down over 20% since Valentine’s Day), another announcement by DraftKings wasn’t exactly welcomed by the Street.

The company is looking to take out a $500 million secured loan to help shore up its finances. Actually the figure is up to $600 million as the figure was “increased from the previously announced $500 million aggregate principal amount due to strong demand.” And while this is a normal part of doing business, it’s also a lot of money to borrow.

So maybe if you win both lotteries, you could float them the loan. Give them good terms. Be sporting about at it.

At any rate … Powerball: Nobody won Monday’s drawing – numbers 18, 20, 50, 52, 56 and a red Powerball of 20. There were also no Match 5 winners, and Lottery Geeks estimates 9.4 million tickets were sold for Monday’s drawing.

Mega Millions bursts through $200 million

Mega Millions Tuesday jackpot of $215 million comes on the heels of nobody taking down last Friday’s lottery.

The numbers there – 9, 19, 30, 35, 66 and a yellow Mega ball of 16 – also did not yield any Match 5 winners. 

Lottery Geeks estimates 10.9 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing.

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. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

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. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California