Remembering The ‘Publix Phantom’ As Powerball, Mega Millions Jackpots Grow

We’re nearing the one-year anniversary of what we here at Lottery Geeks are calling the Publix Phantom …

It was last February, as midnight struck on Feb. 11, that a $36 million Mega Millions ticket — sold at a Publix supermarket in Jacksonville, Florida — went kaput.

The drawing was held the previous August, and the winner had until that Sunday night in February to claim their life-changing fortune. Alas, the winner never materialized, and the money — well, 80% of it — wound its way into the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, with the remaining funds being put back into other Florida lottery prize pools.

What happened to that ticket, and that ticket-buyer, remains a mystery to this day. But sometimes, in the frozen foods aisle, shoppers report hearing the sound of ping-pong balls jostling for position.

OK, fine, that last part was made up, but the rest is true. #SadStory.

But now, let’s have a look at potentially happy news, assuming A) you win either the Powerball or Mega Millions and B) you don’t lose the ticket. Starting with …

The Powerball jackpot is up to an estimated $89 million (with a $39.6 million cash value) for its Saturday drawing after nobody took home the bacon Wednesday night. Those Wednesday numbers — 8, 12, 31, 33, 38, and a red Powerball of 18 — didn’t yield a single millionaire, as nobody matched the five white balls.

Lottery Geeks estimates 7.9 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.

Mega Millions: Lower jackpot, higher sales

Mega Millions jackpot for Friday night’s drawing is at $59 million (cash value $26.5 million) after nobody won the grand prize in Tuesday night’s draw.

Tuesday’s numbers — 10, 19, 31, 47, 56, and a gold Mega Ball of 6 — also failed to mint any new millionaires.

Lottery Geeks estimates 9.3 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s drawing.

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:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $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:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California