Mega Millions jackpot jumps to $376M; Powerball $363M
(Photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
MADISON, Wis. - The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are over $300 million each as we approach 2021.
The Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $376 million for the drawing Tuesday night, Dec. 29. Lottery officials say that's the fourth-largest jackpot over the past two years and the 15th largest prize overall.
In the meantime, the Powerball jackpot is an estimated $363 million for the drawing Wednesday night, Dec. 30 -- the highest since January when a lucky player in Florida won a $396.9 million jackpot.
The last Powerball drawing the day after Christmas netted five $1 million or more winners.
The Powerball jackpot was last hit in Wisconsin on June 10; the ticket sold at Synergy Coop Exit 45 in Menomonie, which received a $100,000 incentive for selling the winning ticket.
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Powerball jackpots won in 2020
That's among seven Powerball jackpot-winning tickets in 2020:
- Jan. 29, 2020 - $396.9 million – Florida
- Feb. 12, 2020 - $70 million – Michigan
- April 8, 2020 - $190 million – New Jersey
- June 3, 2020 - $136.4 million – West Virginia
- June 10, 2020 - $22 million – Wisconsin
- Aug. 12, 2020 - $168.5 million – Florida
- Sept. 16, 2020 - $94.8 million – New York
As for Mega Millions, while no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas night, three matched the five white balls to win $1 million.
Mega Millions winning ticket sold in Mount Pleasant
The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in Wisconsin on Sept. 15, the lucky winner, Adrian Tongson of Racine, earning $120 million. Tongson purchased the ticket at Kwik Trip on Spring Street in Mount Pleasant.
Mega Millions jackpots won in 2020
The Wisconsin win is among five times the jackpot has been won in 2020:
- Feb. 11 - $202 million -- New Jersey
- June 9 - $414 million -- Arizona
- July 24 - $123 million -- New Jersey
- July 31 - $22 million -- California
- Sept. 15 - $120 million -- Wisconsin
How to play
Mega Millions tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mega Millions drawings are Tuesday and Friday at 9:59 p.m. Tickets must be purchased before 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday to be included in that day’s drawing.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball drawings are Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59 p.m. Tickets must be purchased before 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday to be included in that day’s drawing. The overall odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.