Mega Millions jackpot reaches $333 million
A file photo of a New York Lottery Mega Millions ticket taken on March 24, 2015. Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
Don’t look now, but the Mega Millions jackpot is a healthy $333 million — that, after 29 straight drawings without a winner.
The Powerball jackpot is now $184 million.
The jackpots have grown because both lotteries have gone so long without a winner, officials said.
The last winning draw in Mega Millions was March 8, when a ticket was sold in Washington state that matched all the winning numbers.
The last Powerball win came on May 7 when a winning ticket bought in New Jersey hit for $429 million.
The current cash value for the Powerball jackpot is $125.3 million. The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday.
Officials said the current cash value for the $333 million Mega draw is $226 million — the largest prize offered in the game since March 18, 2014, when two tickets (sold in Florida and Maryland) shared a $414 million jackpot.
The record Mega Millions jackpot is $656 million, when three tickets shared that jackpot on March 30, 2012. Next is the $648 million jackpot split by two winners on Dec. 17, 2013.
The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
