News writer
Lottery players have more than a billion reasons to get excited this weekend, and the biggest prizes aren't the only ones worth watching. Powerball and Mega Millions have climbed to a combined $1.1 billion heading into this weekend. With neither game producing a jackpot winner in recent drawings, the prizes have kept rolling over.
However, don't overlook the state lotteries. New Jersey, New York, and Texas each have jackpots topping $10 million, bringing the combined total for these five games to nearly $1.15 billion. That's a lot of money waiting for some lucky players!
Powerball leads the way with a $674 million jackpot
Powerball is once again the biggest prize in the country, with an estimated $674 million jackpot for Saturday, October 24. A winner could choose the full advertised jackpot through annual payments or take a one-time cash option of approximately $283.9 million before taxes.
The jackpot has been growing since August 15, with 30 consecutive drawings failing to produce a grand prize winner.
The latest drawing on Wednesday, October 21, had winning white ball numbers of 1, 21, 44, 50, and 57, and the Powerball number was 5. Nobody matched all six numbers, sending the jackpot even higher.
Could Saturday finally end the streak?
Mega Millions isn't far behind at $433 million
Mega Millions players have their own massive prize to chase on Friday night. The estimated jackpot for October 23 stands at $433 million, with a cash option of $178.6 million before taxes.
The jackpot has been building since a Florida ticket won $803 million on July 28. Friday's drawing will be the 25th since that big win.
If someone hits the jackpot, it would mark just the fourth Mega Millions grand prize win of 2026.
With both national games continuing to roll over, lottery players could be looking at even bigger prizes next week if nobody wins.
Three state jackpots are making some noise
While Powerball and Mega Millions grab most of the attention, three state lottery games are offering some impressive prizes of their own.
- New Jersey's Pick-6 leads the group with a $15 million jackpot for Saturday, October 24.
- Next up is New York LOTTO, which has climbed to $11.6 million for Saturday's drawing.
- Not far behind is Lotto Texas, offering an estimated $11 million jackpot that same night.
Together, those three state games have $37.6 million in advertised jackpot prizes up for grabs. While those amounts might look small compared to Powerball, winning $11 million would still be a pretty good way to spend your weekend!
Will the jackpot streak finally end?
With five major jackpots on the line, this weekend gives lottery players plenty to watch.
Of course, bigger jackpots don't mean better odds. Powerball's jackpot odds remain approximately 1 in 292 million, while Mega Millions offers jackpot odds of about 1 in 290 million.
Still, someone eventually has to match those winning numbers. Will one of the national games finally crown another multimillionaire, or will a state lottery player steal the spotlight this weekend?
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
