By Taryn Phaneuf | NerdWallet
Both major national lottery jackpots continued their march upward after drawings Monday and Tuesday, with Mega Millions inching tantalizingly close to an estimated $1 billion top prize. Only five previous Mega Millions jackpots have hit that mark.
The Powerball jackpot rolled over again on Monday night and now stands at an estimated $687 million, with its next drawing tonight (Wednesday, March 20).
- Mega Millions: $977 million estimated jackpot, next drawing Friday, March 22.
- Powerball: $687 million estimated jackpot, next drawing Wednesday, March 20.
If either or both continue to elude a winner in upcoming draws, 2024 could see its first billion-dollar-plus jackpot, a mark that has become more common in recent years. Powerball had a $1.765 billion jackpot (won by a single ticket) as recently as October 2023.
Powerball and Mega Millions tickets are sold for $2 apiece in 45 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- To play Mega Millions, pick five numbers between 1 and 70, and a sixth number between 1 and 25. If you don’t want to pick the numbers yourself, you can get a set of numbers generated for you.
- To play Powerball, pick five numbers between 1 and 69 and a Powerball number from 1 to 26 (or have them randomly generated).