With no winning numbers for this past weekend's Mega Millions and Powerball drawings, the jackpots have grown to a near record amount, totaling a combined $700 for this week's action. The Mega Millions drawing will be its sixth largest ever.
The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday, October 9, at 11 p.m. ET, with the projected jackpot $470 million (cash option $265 million). The highest Mega Millions jackpot ever won was $656 million, and there have been three others greater than $470 million, making Tuesday's upcoming drawing one of the biggest ever.
The record Mega Millions jackpot of $656 million on March 30, 2012, was shared by winners in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland, and a $648 million jackpot was won in California and Georgia on December 17, 2013.
Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot has increased to an estimated $282 million for the Wednesday, October 10, drawing. The cash value of the jackpot would be $161 million.
What's the deadline for deadline for purchasing Mega Millions, Powerball tickets?
If you are feeling lucky and think you have some winning numbers, you have until the purchase deadline Tuesday at 10:45 p.m. ET to enter the Mega Millions drawing, and until Wednesday at 9:45 p.m. ET to enter the Powerball drawing before the deadline.
The last big Powerball payout was $245 million, won on August 11. The Powerball lottery jackpot is one of America's two big multistate games. It is held in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with drawings held at 10:59 p.m. ET Wednesday nights and Saturday nights. Players, who can enter with a $2 ticket, must make purchases before 9:59 p.m. ET (though states can vary).
Mega Millions is also a multistate lottery and one of America's two biggest lottery jackpot games. Jackpots start at $40 million, and other prizes pay from $1 million to $2 million or more with a Megaplier.
The odds of winning with a $2 Powerball ticket are one in 292 million, while the odds of winning with a $2 Mega Millions ticket are one in 303 million.
The top Mega Millions jackpots to date:
Amount/Date/Winning Tickets
$656 million 3/30/2012 3-IL, KS, MD
$648 million12/17/2013 2-CA, GA
$543 million7/24/2018 1-CA
$536 million7/8/2016 1-IN
$533 million3/30/2018 1-NJ
$451 million1/5/2018 1-FL
$414 million3/18/2014 2-FL, MD
$393 million8/11/2017 1-IL
$390 million3/6/2007 2-GA, NJ
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