The two largest multi-state lottery games in the United States are both about half a million dollars apiece, which is a rarity. This is only the third time in history that both the Mega Millions and Powerball games have been above the $ 400 million mark at the same time, and the first time since 2018.
The Mega Millions 01/08/21 jackpot on Friday is worth $ 510 million, with a cash option worth $ 377.4 million. The Powerball 01/09/21 Saturday is estimated to be worth $ 470 million, with a cash option worth $ 362.7 million.
The total amount of the two jackpots is $ 980 million, with cash options totaling $ 740.1 million. This is not bad money – for no one.
Here are some crazy figures on how much money it is. If you piled $ 100 bills on top of each other until they reached the top of One World Trade Center in New York City, that would be $ 500 million, according to Powerball’s website. Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot would surpass that alone, and Powerball’s jackpot would come close.
What if the happiest person in the world won the $ 980 million combined? Well, a stack of $ 100 bills could reach the top of the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) if two of those towers were stacked on top of each other.
That’s a lot of money.
Both the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots are bigger than any of their winnings in the calendar year 2020. Before we show you the short rules for each game, let’s show you the chances of winning one of the big lottery games .
According to the National Weather Service, you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning 250 times before you win one of the jackpots. You are 30,000 times more likely to injure yourself in the bathroom (according to the CDC) and 80 times more likely to die from a shark attack (Florida Shark Museum).
But someone’s going to win it in the end, right?
Photo credit should read ERIC BARADAT / AFP via Getty Images
The last Mega Millions winner in the grand prize was a ticket sold on 15/09/20 in Wisconsin for a jackpot worth $ 119 million. It was only the fifth Mega Millions jackpot won in the 2020 calendar year.
Here are the five Mega Millions jackpots won in 2020:
- $ 119 million – September 15 in Wisconsin
- $ 22 million – July 31 in California
- $ 124 million – July 24 in New Jersey
- $ 410 million – June 9 in Arizona
- $ 202 million – February 11 in New Jersey
The last Powerball ticket won was sold on August 12, 2020 for a jackpot worth $ 169 million. This ticket was sold in Florida.
There were also only five Powerball award winners in 2020, and here they are:
- $ 169 million – August 12 in Florida
- $ 22 million – June 10 in Wisconsin
- $ 190 million – April 8 in New Jersey
- $ 70 million – February 12 in Michigan
- $ 394 million – January in Florida
Normally, every game would return to a minimum of $ 40 million, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced Powerball officials to halve the minimum jackpot, starting with the 11/11/20 jackpot.
Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery every Tuesday and Friday night, and it’s one of America’s two biggest lottery jackpot games. Mega Millions jackpots start at $ 20 million, and other prizes pay from $ 1 million to $ 2 million or more with a Megaplier. Tickets are $ 2 per line, and the chance to win with a $ 2 Mega Millions ticket is one in 303 million. Visit the website for more information on Mega Millions or to check your previous numbers.
Powerball is the other multi-state lottery, starting at $ 20 million. Its drawings will take place shortly after 23:00 ET on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Here is the Powerball website for more information, or to check out previous winning numbers.
There are nine ways to win money during the Powerball. Just to get the power ball without any other numbers, pay $ 4, and even more if the power measurement is purchased for an extra dollar. The same payout applies to one ball plus the powerball, and $ 7 is the payout for two correct numbers with the powerball, or three correct numbers and no powerball.
If all five of the white, numbered balls are selected, but the red power ball is not correct, the payout is $ 1 million, with an even higher payout if the power measurement is selected.
Just a month ago, on December 8, 2020, the combined jackpots combined just over $ 500 million. Both are now both near or near the point.