Mega Millions®, Powerball® Jackpots Simultaneously Over $700 Million for First Time Ever; Please Play Responsibly
For the first time ever, Mega Millions and Powerball simultaneously have advertised jackpots over $700 million. Because of these high jackpots, the Nebraska Lottery reminds customers to play responsibly.
A string of drawings without a jackpot winner have grown the estimated Mega Millions jackpot to its highest level since October 2018. There have been 36 consecutive drawings since September 18 without a jackpot winner – the longest jackpot run in the game’s history. This run has grown the estimated jackpot for the Friday, January 22 drawing to $970 million or $716.3 million with the cash option selected. This is the 2nd largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
Powerball has also seen its jackpot grow over the last few months. There have been 35 drawings since September 19 without a jackpot winner – which is also the longest jackpot run in the game’s history. The estimated jackpot for the Wednesday, January 20 drawing is $730 million or $546 million with the cash option selected. This is the 4th largest jackpot in Powerball history.
The dual jackpot runs have produced some large Nebraska winners. A $100,000 Powerball Power Play winning ticket for the November 25 drawing was sold at Mega Saver, 4420 South 24th Street in Omaha; another $100,000 Powerball Power Play ticket was sold at Cubby's, 9220 Mormon Bridge Road in Omaha for the December 12 drawing; and a $20,000 Mega Millions with Megaplier winning ticket for the December 22 drawing was sold at Westco, 1120 7th Street in Crawford.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot on record occurred in October 2018 when one winner in South Carolina won a $1.537 billion jackpot. The largest Powerball jackpot on record occurred in January 2016 when three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee split a $1.586 billion jackpot.
Play Responsibly
Because of the high jackpots, the Nebraska Lottery encourages customers to play within their means. “It’s important for Nebraska Lottery players to remember that no matter how large the jackpot is, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million, and the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million,” said Lottery Director Brian Rockey. “Your odds of winning remain the same, regardless of how many tickets are purchased or how many people play.” If you or someone you know has a problem with compulsive gambling, free help is available at problemgambling.nebraska.gov.
Published on 12/28/2020