Powerball and Mega Millions are both soaring, with $1 billion up for grabs

The two national lottery jackpots now total just over $1 billion. Powerball rose to an estimated $600 million after no ticket matched all six numbers in Wednesday's drawing, and Mega Millions stands at $403 million after a miss on Tuesday. The cash values add up to $408.1 million.

Powerball's run started at $20 million on August 15, three days after a single Quick Pick won $1.04 billion in Illinois. It has climbed fast this month, from $538 million on Monday to $562 million on Wednesday and now $600 million. Wednesday's numbers were 3, 34, 37, 42, and 46, with Powerball 20. One ticket in Minnesota matched all five white balls with Power Play for $2 million. Earlier in the week, a ticket sold in Lakeside, California, matched five for $2,259,918.

Mega Millions hasn't paid a jackpot since a Bradenton Wawa ticket won $800 million on July 28. Tuesday's numbers were 11, 12, 15, 40, and 66, with Mega Ball 17, and no ticket matched five. The game has cost $5 a play since its 2025 overhaul, a change we compared with its jackpot promises.

A player who buys one ticket for each game, $7 in all, has about a 1 in 145.7 million chance of winning one of the two jackpots. The cash prizes shrink further after taxes. Federal withholding of 24% would take Powerball's $246 million down to about $187 million and Mega Millions' $162.1 million to about $123.2 million before any state tax. Winners in the 37% top bracket owe more at filing time. The lottery tax calculator estimates the full amount by state, and big jackpots are more likely to be split, since sales rise as the prize grows.

Sources

Powerball: Current jackpot and latest results

Mega Millions: Winning numbers

Forbes: Powerball jackpot rises to $562 million