The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are proving to be elusive for lottery players.
There was no winner in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing, meaning that the jackpot has topped $700 million for the fourth time in its 28-year history. According to lottery officials, the jackpot now is estimated at $730 million for Wednesday’s drawing.
Coupled with the upcoming $850 million drawing Tuesday for the Mega Millions game, next week could see some lucrative paydays.
It is the highest total for a Powerball jackpot since March 2019, and the lack of a winner means the longest streak without a jackpot winner in the game now stands at 35 draws. The Powerball jackpot was last hit on Sept. 16, 2020, in New York.
Should someone win the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, it would be the fourth-largest jackpot in the game’s history and the sixth-largest in U.S. lottery history, according to a news release.
The Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night were 14-20-39-65-67, and the Powerball number was 2.
The record for a Powerball jackpot is $1.586 billion, won Jan. 13, 2016, among players in California, Florida and Tennessee. The second-highest amount was $768.4 million, drawn March 27, 2019, in Wisconsin, while the No. 3 jackpot was worth $758.7 million, won Aug. 23, 2017, in Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, Friday’s Mega Millions game, which had a jackpot of $750 million, had no winners again. The numbers were 3, 11, 12, 38, 43, with a Mega Ball of 15. Mega Millions estimated its next top prize would be $850 million, which would be the third-largest of all time. The drawing is on Tuesday.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last hit on Sept. 15, 2020. Adrian Tongson of Racine, Wisconsin, won the $120 million prize. Tongson chose the cash option of approximately $95.4 million and took home approximately $65.2 million after federal and state taxes.
Cox Media Group