Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots total nearly $1 billion

Some people swear by them, even if others think they’re silly. But this week, everyone might be trying to influence Lady Lucky by carrying some fuzzy dice or a rabbit’s foot keychain, or tossing a penny in a wishing well.

The reason? Two large lottery jackpots with a combined worth of nearly a billion dollars are up for grabs.

The multi-state games — Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing and Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing — are offering a combined total of $842 million. It’s the highest combined total for the two jackpots since October 2018, when the Mega Millions pot hit $1.537 billion and the Powerball hit $687.8 million.

Drawn Tuesday night, the Mega Millions jackpot offers an annuity value of $432 million and a cash prize of $329.7 million, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Lottery. That would make it the 10th largest prize in Mega Millions history, and the largest since June 2019.

The Wednesday night Powerball jackpot carries an annuity value of $410 million and a cash prize of $316.4 million. This is the highest the Powerball jackpot since March 2019 when a $768.4 million jackpot was won in Wisconsin.

Tickets for both the Mega Millions and Powerball can be purchased in-store or online at palottery.com. Players can also purchase tickets using the lottery’s official app.

The odds of matching all five numbers and the gold Megaball number is 1 in about 302 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The odds of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number is 1 in about 293 million. There are a total of nine ways to win a prize in Mega Millions or Powerball, ranging from the jackpot down to $2.

Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball and Mega Millions winners have one year from the drawing date to claim prizes. The holder of the winning ticket should sign the back of the ticket and contact their nearest lottery office.

The Keystone State hasn’t had a Mega Millions jackpot winner since July 2015 when Steven Peloquin of Virginia claimed a jackpot with a cash value of $91.8 million. He bought his winning ticket at the Penn 80/Flying J Travel Plaza in Milton, Northumberland County.

The Emerald Legacy Trust claimed the last Powerball jackpot won in Pennsylvania with a cash prize of $273.9 million in March 2018. The winning ticket was sold at Speedway in Manheim, Lancaster County.