Between the nation’s two largest lotteries, there nearly $1 billion in jackpot money up for grabs. The odds of hitting all winning numbers in either game? Pretty bad.
For the $654 million Mega Million jackpot — which marks the game’s second-largest top prize ever — your chance of winning is one in 302.6 million. For Powerball’s $345 million top prize, it’s one in 292 million.
The chance of winning both is at least 1 in 88 quadrillion. That’s 88 followed by 15 zeros.
In comparison, your chance of being struck by lightning in your lifetime is 1 in 14,600, according to the National Weather Service.
If no one hits the Mega Millions jackpot, the prize likely would jump past the game’s existing record of $656 million in March 2012. In that instance, the amount was split three ways.
Meanwhile, two past Powerball jackpots were even bigger: nearly $1.6 billion in January 2016 and $758.7 million in August 2017.
The next drawings are Tuesday night for Mega Millions and Wednesday night for Powerball.
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