Powerball Jackpot Grows To Exact Size Of Josh Allen’s Six-Year Contract

Monday night’s Powerball jackpot is sitting at an estimated $258 million. Yes, that’s right — if someone goes 6-for-6 in this drawing, the 19th since the last time the Powerball jackpot hit, that lucky winner will stake a claim to more than a quarter-billion dollars. (Although, if they choose the lump-sum cash option rather than the 30-payment annuity, they would “only” win $129.3 million.)

Fun fact: The $258 million exactly matches the size of the six-year contract signed by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen back in 2021. Hopefully if someone wins Monday night, they’ll get more for their money than the Bills did on Sunday night, when Allen had by far his worst game of the season in the Bills’ 35-10 thrashing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.

The most recent Powerball drawing was almost as big a disappointment for lottery players as Allen’s 180-yard, zero-TD showing in Baltimore was for Bills fans. On Saturday night, the Powerball numbers were 3, 11, 13, 24, and 39 with a red Powerball of 22, and not a single ticket matched all five white balls. So not only was the $243 million jackpot unclaimed, but there weren’t even any new millionaires made.

Lottery Geeks estimates some 16.6 million tickets were sold for Saturday’s drawing, up from 12.2 million for the previous game.

A quarter-billion dollars worth of potential scratch could push that number even higher for Monday’s draw, although weekend drawings often generate more interest than those on weekdays.

Mega Millions grows again

No one won the Mega Millions top prize of $77 million last Friday, pushing Tuesday’s jackpot to an estimated $93 million (with a cash option of $46 million).

And while no one took home the bacon with the following numbers — 29, 46, 53, 69, and 70, with a gold Mega Ball of 23 — one player in Minnesota hit all five white balls and bought the “Megaplier,” resulting in a $2 million haul. Not a bad day at the office. Or at the Holiday Stationstores convenience store in Edina, Minnesota, where this particular life-changing ticket was purchased.

Lottery Geeks estimates about 9.6 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering a Megaplier or Power Play 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, while 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