MIAMI (NewsNation) — If you’re feeling lucky, the next Mega Millions or Powerball could be all yours.
There was no grand prize winner from Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing, so the jackpot is now worth $560 million with a cash value of $281.1 million.
No ticket won the grand prize in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, so that jackpot increased to $875 million with a cash option of $441.9 million.
“So the Powerball jackpot right now is $875 million, which puts it as the number three largest jackpot in Powerball history,” said Jared James, found of Lotto Edge. “So it’s crazy because the Mega Millions jackpot, right now it’s $560 million, and it comes to the number seven largest Mega Millions jackpot in history.”
Yet, the odds of winning aren’t in anyone’s favor. The chance of hitting a jackpot are 1 in 302 million. You’d have a better chance of getting struck by lightning or flipping a coin and it landing on heads 30 times in a row than hitting the jackpot or even becoming president of the United States.
“The odds of being injured on a toilet are one in 10,000. You’re much more likely much more likely being injured on a toilet than winning one of these jackpots,” James said.
In recent years, jackpots have increased significantly. According to lottery officials, the “number matrix” was adjusted in both games in 2015 and 2017 making the odds of winning a jackpot longer in each game.
“This the third-highest we’ve seen. We have one that crested $2 billion; we’re talking Bugs Bunny numbers here at that point,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery. “You go from being a person of average means to one of the wealthiest people on the planet Earth.”
Even with the odds stacked against them, people still play for a chance to change their lives.
“It’s always hope, it’s always fate,” said Tonya Daniel, a lottery player. “It’s my fate and my hope that one day I will hit the lotto.”