Mega Millions And Powerball Jackpots Won On Consecutive Days Over The Weekend
The last time the two draw lottery jackpots were hit on back-to-back days occurred in April 2023
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Back to back, and belly to belly!
If you’re a baseball fan, you recognize those words as coming from the mouth of John Sterling, the New York Yankees’ former play-by-play man. He’d say them when home runs were hit, back to back.
Of course, if you’re a music fan, you might know those words from whence they came: Harry Belafonte’s “Zombie Jamboree.” (Well, technically, it was first recorded in 1953 by Lord Intruder. Yes. Lord Intruder.)
Speaking of back to back … oh yes. It just happened in the world of the lottery.
Someone hit the Mega Millions on Friday night, and then someone else came right back and hit the Powerball Saturday night. The last time this happened was back on April 18 and 19, 2023, when the Mega Millions hit for $20 million in New York, followed by a $252.6 million winning Powerball ticket sold in Ohio.
As for this past weekend’s winners? Let’s start with the bigger one first.
Back to back …
Saturday night, one lucky ticket-buyer in Oregon matched 14, 31, 35, 64, and 69 and the red Powerball of 23 to take home the estimated $329 million jackpot (cash value was set at $146.4 million).
And they weren’t the only millionaires minted Saturday; a Michigan ticket-buyer matched all five white numbers along with the 2x Power Play multiplier to win a cool $2 million.
Lottery Geeks estimates about 18.3 million tickets were sold for the drawing.
The jackpot resets to $20 million for Monday night’s draw.
And belly to belly
Meanwhile, in Mega Millions, the $112 million jackpot (with a $49.95 million cash value) was won in Arizona when the numbers 8, 10, 37, 54 and 69, plus the gold Mega Ball 22, came up roses.
The winning ticket was sold at Winners Corner in Tempe — to an employee of Jackpocket, representing a customer who’d bought the winner via the lottery courier company’s app.
“This is a transformative moment in lottery history,” said Pete Sullivan, SVP, Lottery at DraftKings (the parent company of Jackpocket), “marking the largest jackpot ever won from a ticket ordered using a lottery courier service.”
As with Powerball on Saturday, there were other millionaires made Friday night. Two ticket buyers — one in Florida and the other in Michigan — matched all five white balls for the million-dollar prize.
Lottery Geeks estimates 10.9 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing. Tuesday’s drawing resets at $20 million.
Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1.
Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.
All-time biggest jackpots
Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
- $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
- $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
- $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
- $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
- $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
- $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
- $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
- $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
- $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:
- $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
- $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
- $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
- $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
- $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
- $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
- $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
- $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
- $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
- $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California