Will you strike gold? Mega Millions and Powerball lead big jackpot weekend

If you're feeling lucky, this weekend is definitely one of those weekends you should be acting on it. By trying your luck at the Mega Millions or Powerball drawings, you could win a life-changing jackpot.

With dreams of record-setting jackpots, players across the country are racing to buy their shot at turning a few dollars into a fortune. The possibilities are endless if you win one of these jackpots — and it all starts with a ticket. Will this weekend be your golden moment?

Mega Millions jackpot reaches top 10 level

The last Mega Millions winner was for the September 10, 2024, drawing. For that drawing, one lucky ticket in Texas won the $810 million jackpot for the night.

That means we have gone 24 drawings without a jackpot winner, pushing the jackpot to an estimated $579 million for the Friday, December 6, 2024, drawing. The cash option is $278.4 million.

The $579 million jackpot is the tenth largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. The largest Mega Millions jackpot on record occurred in August 2023 when one winner in Florida took home the $1.6 billion jackpot.

Powerball jackpot also going strong

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $260 million for the Saturday, December 7, 2024, drawing. The cash value for that jackpot is $125.5 million.

The last Powerball win came during the October 23, 2024, drawing. For that drawing, one lucky ticket in Georgia matched all of the winning numbers to win the $478 million jackpot.

Now, the jackpot has climbed back up to $260 million, with the combined Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots totaling $839 million. While that is a hefty number, it's not the biggest combined total for the multi-state draw games. The biggest combined jackpot total came in March 2024, when the Powerball jackpot reached $800 million and the Mega Millions jackpot reached $1.1 billion, so a combined $1.9 billion was up for grabs at that time.

Other state lottery jackpots are up for grabs

While many people across the country will be purchasing their tickets and hoping for a big win this weekend, there are some other bigger jackpots up for grabs this weekend and less competition.

These state jackpots are only available to residents in that state, so fewer people buy tickets. Players will be trying their luck to win the following jackpots this weekend also:

• $48.25 million for Lotto Texas – This drawing takes place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 10:12 p.m. CT.
• $46 million for SuperLotto Plus in California – This drawing takes place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 7:45 p.m. PT.
• $30.8 million for Hoosier Lotto in Indiana – This drawing takes place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 11:00 p.m. ET.
• $30.75 million for Florida Lotto – This drawing takes place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 11:15 p.m. ET.
• $4.47 million for LOTTO in Arkansas – This is a record-breaking jackpot for this draw game, which will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. CT.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.