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MIDDLETOWN — Thanks to strong ticket sales, the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have been boosted to even more unimaginable amounts.
For only $4, players can play both games and chase separate jackpots totaling over $1 billion.
The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday’s drawing is now worth a $450 million annuity value or a $281.2 million cash prize. Mega Millions costs $2 to play.
The Powerball jackpot for Saturday was raised to a $570 million annuity value or a $358.5 million cash prize. A Powerball ticket also costs $2.
“This is an exciting time because it marks the first time ever that we’ve seen both jackpots simultaneously reach these levels,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “We ask players to please play responsibly.”
In Pennsylvania, tickets for both games are sold until 9:59 p.m. on drawing nights. Players are encouraged to play early to avoid the possibility of encountering lines at retailers.
Some interesting tidbits about the games:
• Pennsylvania has sold 17 Powerball jackpot-winning tickets since joining the game in 2002, and two jackpot-winning Mega Millions tickets since it started offering the game in 2010.
• Pennsylvania’s largest Powerball prize was a $110.2 million cash-value jackpot claimed by a New Jersey couple in 2004.
• The state’s largest Mega Millions jackpot was a $91.8 million cash-value prize claimed by a Virginia man in 2015.
Powerball and Mega Millions are played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
