News writer
Jackpots across the country are reaching highs in advance of the weekend, including a massive $515 million Powerball jackpot and an above-average jackpot for Lotto America. While the Mega Millions jackpot is relatively low, this weekend marks one of the last opportunities to play under the game's existing rules before the new ones kick in on April 8.
Powerball
The Powerball jackpot has topped half a billion dollars heading into the weekend.
The next chance to win will be at the drawing on Saturday night at 10:59 Eastern time.
If a player or players match all five white balls drawn in addition to the red Powerball for Saturday's drawing, they will take home this life-changing prize.
As a lump sum cash option, the jackpot worth about $242.7 million. If winners opt for an annuity payout, they will receive 30 payments annually, with the amount increasing by five percent every year. Taxes have not been factored into these totals.
The jackpot has been increasing since January 18, when an Oregon player won $328.5 million. There have been smaller - but notable - Powerball wins since. Three players from Washington, D.C., New York, and California each won $1 million in Wednesday's Powerball drawing.
The highest Powerball jackpot on record is $2.04 billion, which was won by Edwin Castro in Pasadena, California, in November 2022. His numbers were 0-33-41-47-56, and the Powerball was 10. It took 40 rollovers for the jackpot to hit that number. As of now, there have been 29 rollover draws since the last winner.
A player's odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9 million, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Tickets are $2 per play, with $1 to increase chances with Megaplier.
Lotto America
The Lotto America jackpot, which is available in 15 states, is up to $27.47 million, far exceeding the game's average jackpot of $10.49 million.
The next drawing is on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time. Tickets cost $1 per play, with gameplay similar to Powerball. The highest Lotto America ever won was $40.03 million in Iowa on April 1, 2023. The gameplay in Lotto America is similar to Powerball. Tickets are $1 per play.
Mega Millions
The Mega Millions jackpot is up to $20 million after a player in Illinois won $349 million on Tuesday. The next drawing is tonight at 11 p.m. Eastern time. The highest Mega Millions ever won was $1.602 billion out of Florida on August 8, 2023.
This weekend marks one of the last chances to play Mega Millions under the existing rules. Beginning April 8, ticket costs will rise to $5 each, with increased odds, a higher jackpot minimum, and more prizes.
In a news release, Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, stated:
Non-jackpot prizes at every level are going up by 2 times to 10 times. That's the kind of value the new Mega Millions will deliver to our players at every single drawing.
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