No Winner Friday, So Mega Millions Grows to $850M, Saturday’s Powerball Worth $640M

Posted on: January 16, 2021, 02:05h. 

Last updated on: January 16, 2021, 04:31h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

The Mega Millions jackpot keeps growing. No one matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball in Friday’s drawing, and that means Tuesday’s jackpot is worth an estimated $850 million.

Mega Millions
A DC Lottery player holds a ticket she purchased for the 2018 Mega Millions record $1.54 billion jackpot. Tuesday’s drawing in the multi-state lottery game is an estimated $850 million, the second-highest jackpot in the game’s history. (Image: ABC News)

That would make it the second richest Mega Millions grand prize in the game’s history and the third-largest in US history. The lump-sum cash option if the winner decides not to take annual installments is $628.2 million.

Friday’s numbers were 3-11-12-38-43, with the Mega Ball 15. The jackpot was worth $750 million.

Mega Millions players must pick five numbers from a lot of 70 and then a separate number, the Mega Ball, from a lot of 25. The odds of picking the winning numbers are 1 in 302.6 million

The game is available in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. Sorry, residents of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.

Residents in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia can purchase their Mega Millions tickets online.

The richest Mega Millions prize in the multi-state lottery’s history went out on Oct. 23, 2018, when one lucky winner claimed $1.54 billion.

Eight Won $1 Million Friday Night

How close were we to seeing the $750 million go out? Of the 4.7 million winning tickets from Friday’s drawing, only eight had the first five numbers picked correctly. They won $1 million each.

Another 142 players had four of the first five numbers correct and the Mega Ball. Those players won $10,000 each. However, 22 of those winners actually got $40,000 because they played the $1 Megaplier, which multiplies the prizes at all levels under the grand prize.

The Mega Millions jackpot last went out on Sept. 15. In the 35 drawings since that time, more than 30.2 million people have won prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million.

$640M Powerball Drawing Saturday Night

There’s another massive jackpot available Saturday night.

A $640 million prize, or $478.7 million cash option, is up for grabs in Saturday’s Powerball drawing.

That ranks as the ninth-largest grand prize in US lottery history and the fifth-largest since Powerball began 29 years ago.

Just like Mega Millions, the Powerball top prize has not been claimed since mid-September. According to the Powerball news release, the 35 drawings since the big claim is the longest drought in its history.

Powerball is played slightly different from Mega Millions. The five balls in Powerball come from a lot of 69, and the extra ball, called the Powerball, is drawn from a lot of 26. The odds to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. It’s also available in the same states as Mega Millions and is also available in Puerto Rico. Sorry, again, residents of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.

At its last drawing on Wednesday, 10 tickets matched the first five numbers, with each of those players winning $1 million. One of those winners took home double that, thanks to the $1 Power Play multiplier.

In all, 3.3 million players won prizes between $4 and $2.2 million, and since September, there have been 27.3 million tickets winning a prize. That includes 34 $1 million winners and 11 $2 million tickets.

Saturday’s drawing will take place at 10:59 pm ET. Cut-off times for the drawing vary by state.