Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots now at a combined $1.9 billion

Be sure to get your tickets! The Powerball and Mega Millions Powerball jackpots are now at a combined $1.9 billion.

The lottery prizes swelled after no tickets matched all six numbers in drawings on Friday and Saturday night. The Mega Millions jackpot grew to $1.1 billion and the Powerball jackpot rose to $800 million; the prizes were $977 million and $750 million respectively on Wednesday night.

The next Powerball drawing will be Monday — and if there’s a winner, it would be the sixth-largest prize in the game’s history, according to the company. The last Powerball jackpot was won on Jan. 1 for $842.4 million by a ticket in Michigan. There have been 35 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner since then.

The record Powerball jackpot is $2.04 billion, a prize won by a ticket in California in 2022.

The Mega Millions numbers will be drawn again Monday night, and it would be the fifth-largest prize in the game’s history. Two tickets purchased in California split the last Mega Millions prize on Dec. 8. It is the only lottery game that has risen to the billion-dollar zone six times, according to a news release. So far, five jackpots over $1 billion have been awarded: in South Carolina in 2018, Michigan in 2021, Illinois in 2022, and Maine and Florida in 2023.

Mega Millions’ jackpot record is $1.602 billion, which was won in Florida last year.

The sole winner of a jackpot can choose to be paid in a lump sum or through an annuity for the full amount, with annual payments over 30 years. The lump sum payment is estimated at $384.8 million for Powerball and $525.8 million for Mega Millions, both before taxes.

The odds of winning the jackpot are roughly 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and 1 in 302.6 million for Mega Millions.

May the best ticket win!