Lottery Jackpots Rising To Record Numbers After No Big Winners

The jackpots for the Mega Millions and Powerball are climbing to record numbers with no big winners this weekend.

The Powerball jackpot is advancing to $730 million with a lump sum payout of $546 million, which ranks it as the #6 on the list of largest jackpots ever.  The Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $850 million which is now #3 on the top 20 list.

I know I can't be the only casual lottery players playing these numbers.  I usually don't start playing the quick picks until the jackpots are huge, which is why last week I bought two tickets.  The odds are so stacked against me I never spend a lot of tickets, I figure somebody's got to win it eventually, it might as well be me.  Plus I figure in the large scheme of things, buying 20 tickets won't increase my odds of winning when you look at the figures below.

Odds of winning the lottery jackpots:

• Powerball - 1 in 292,201,338
• Mega Millions - 1 in 302,575,350

If I did win, I would like to think my life wouldn't change too much.  I would, of course, retire but other than that I live a simple life and I don't want or need for much.  I would invest a lot of the money for my kids and make sure we had wealth that would last for generations.  I would also teach my kids how to invest their money when they get it so the cycle of generational wealth won't be broken, and I would hope they would do the same with their children. The only big purchases I can think of that I would buy, would be a new house and two new vehicles. I would also bless family members with money, so they can pay off bills and be debt free.

Here’s a list of the top 20 prizes from Powerball and Mega Millions:

1. $1.586 billion Powerball January 13, 2016. There were 3 winning tickets for this prize. These tickets were purchased in Tennessee, Florida, and California. Each had the option to take a lump sum of $327.8 million.
2. $1.537 billion Mega Millions October 2018. There was one winning ticket purchased in South Carolina. The ticket was sold at a KC Mart convenience store in the town of Simpsonville. This is the largest single-ticket jackpot in U.S. history.
3. $850 million Mega Millions, next drawing is Tuesday Jan 19. The cash option payout is $628 million.
4. $768.4 million, Powerball won by a single ticket in Wisconsin. Cash: $477 million.
5. $758 million, Powerball won August 24, 2018, by Mavis Wanczyk of Massachusets. She chose the lump sum payment of $480 million.
6. $730 million Powerball, is up for grabs Wednesday January 20. The cash option is $546 million.
7. $687.8 million, Powerball won Oct. 27, 2018. There were two winning tickets. One in Iowa and another in New York.
8. $656 million, Mega Millions, won March 30, 2012, by three tickets, sold in Maryland, Illinois and Kansas. Cash: $471 million
9. $648 million, Mega Millions, won Dec. 17, 2013, in Georgia and California. Cash: $347.6 million.
10. $590.5 million, Powerball, won May 18, 2013, in Florida. Cash: $370.9 million.
11. $587.5 million, Powerball, won Nov. 28, 2012, by two tickets, sold in Missouri and Arizona. Cash: $384.7 million
12. $564 million, Powerball jackpot was won by one ticket in New Hampshire in the drawing on Saturday, January 6, 2018.
13. $559.7 million Powerball, A single ticket was sold at Reeds Ferry Market in Merrimack, NH. The winning ticket holder wants to remain anonymous.
14. $543 million Mega Millions. There was one winning ticket sold in California in the July 2018 drawing.
15. $536 million Mega Millions, a single ticket was sold in Indiana on July 8, 2016.
16. $530 million Mega Millions, jackpot for Friday, June 7, 2019.
17. $487 million Powerball, winning ticket was sold in New Hampshire on July 30, 2016.
18. $455 million, Powerball, winning ticket was sold in Pennsylvania on March 17, 2018.
19. $450 million, Mega Millions ticket was sold in Florida for the January 5th, 2018 drawing.
20. $448.4 million, Powerball, for Aug. 7, 2013, drawing, won by 3 tickets, 2 of them in New Jersey, one in Minnesota. Cash: $258.2 million.