The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are proving to be elusive for lottery players.
There was no winner in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing, meaning that the jackpot has topped $700 million for the fourth time in its 28-year history. According to lottery officials, the jackpot now is estimated at $730 million for Wednesday’s drawing.
It is the highest total for a Powerball jackpot since March 2019, and the lack of a winner means the longest streak without a jackpot winner in the game now stands at 35 draws. The Powerball jackpot was last hit on Sept. 16, 2020, in New York.
Coupled with the upcoming $850 million drawing Tuesday for the Mega Millions game, next week could see some lucrative paydays.
Should someone win the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, it would be the fourth-largest jackpot in the game’s history and the sixth-largest in U.S. lottery history, according to a news release.
The Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night were 14-20-39-65-67, and the Powerball number was 2.
The record for a Powerball jackpot is $1.586 billion, won Jan. 13, 2016, among players in California, Florida and Tennessee. The second-highest amount was $768.4 million, drawn March 27, 2019, in Wisconsin, while the No. 3 jackpot was worth $758.7 million, won Aug. 23, 2017, in Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, Friday’s Mega Millions game, which had a jackpot of $750 million, had no winners again. The numbers were 3, 11, 12, 38, 43, with a Mega Ball of 15. Mega Millions estimated its next top prize would be $850 million, which would be the third-largest of all time. The drawing is on Tuesday.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last hit on Sept. 15, 2020. Adrian Tongson of Racine, Wisconsin, won the $120 million prize. Tongson chose the cash option of approximately $95.4 million and took home approximately $65.2 million after federal and state taxes.