The odds of winning Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
The odds of hitting the Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot are one in 292 million. Here are things you’re more likely to land than a lot of money.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a big winner.
No one hit all six numbers and won the estimated $940 million jackpot, boosting the lottery’s prize pool to about $1.1 billion ahead of Tuesday night’s next drawing.
The award is now the third largest in US history.
There have been 24 draws without a prize winner, dating back more than two months. The winless streak is largely due to the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million.
The estimated new prize of $1.1 billion is for a winner who chooses an annuity paid annually for 29 years. Big prize winners usually go for the cash option, which for Tuesday night’s drawing will be about $568.7 million.
“Mega Millions just hit $1 billion again. It’s especially nice to see the jackpot grow over the holidays and into the new year,” said Pat McDonald, Ohio Lottery Director and Mega Chief Executive Officer Millions Consortium, in a statement. early saturday “As the jackpot grows, we encourage our players to stay within their entertainment budget and enjoy this jackpot with us.”
Here’s what else you need to know.
What are my odds of winning the lottery? If you hit the Mega Millions jackpot, here’s what you need to know
Money: The Powerball jackpot is still available. Here’s what to do if you win
Mega Millions winning numbers
The winning numbers for Friday night’s draw were 3-20-46-59-63, Mega Ball: 13 and Megaplier was 3x.
How do I play Mega Millions?
To enter Mega Millions, players choose six numbers, or choose to have the lottery machine generate an “Easy Pick” or “Quick Pick” at random:
- Five numbers will go from 1 to 70 (white balls)
- You can choose a number from 1 to 25 (gold megaball)
If your ticket matches the six winning numbers in the draw, you win the jackpot. There are also smaller prizes depending on how many balls match your numbers.
The cost to play Mega Millions is $2 per entry. You can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase your potential prize amount up to five times the original prize (excluding the jackpot).
‘Everybody was going crazy’: Woman wins $175,000 lottery prize at White Elephant gift exchange
Where can I play Mega Millions?
Mega Millions can be played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
Five states (Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah) do not offer Mega Millions.
What are my chances of winning?
While the $1.1 billion jackpot may be tempting, it’s important to note that the odds of taking home the top prize are extremely slim.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350 to 1.
The odds of matching all five white balls are 12,607,306 to 1.
In Delaware: A 70-year-old woman celebrated winning the lottery by buying another ticket. He won again.
Top 10 Mega Millions Jackpots
According to Mega Millions, there have only been three jackpots in the game’s history bigger than Friday’s estimated prize.
Here’s a look at the top 10:
- $1.537 billion, October 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
- $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
- $1.1 billion: January 10: Active.
- $1.05 billion, January 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
- $656 million, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland.
- $648 million, December 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia.
- $543 million, July 24, 2018: Won in California.
- $536 million, July 8, 2016: Won in Indiana.
- $533 million: March 30, 2018: Won in New Jersey.
- $522 million: June 7, 2019: Won in California.
The biggest lottery prizes in history
Here’s a look at the top 10 biggest lottery prizes, between Powerball and Mega Millions:
- $2.04 billion Powerball November 7, 2022 – won in California.
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee.
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018: won in South Carolina.
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: won in Illinois.
- $1.1 billion: January 10: Active.
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, January 22, 2021: won in Michigan.
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin.
- $758.7 million, Powerball, August 23, 2017: won in Massachusetts.
- $730 million, Powerball, January 20, 2021: Won in Maryland.
- $699.8 million, Powerball, October 4, 2021: won in California.
What is everyone talking about? Subscribe to our trending newsletter to receive the latest news of the day
Contributing: The Associated Press, Olivia Munson and Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY.