Powerball, Mega Millions Jackpots Total $800 Million For Weekend Drawings
BRAINTREE (CBS) – Some serious cash is up for grabs this weekend in both the Powerball and Mega Millions lottery games.
The Mega Millions jackpot is up to an estimated $345 million. A winner choosing the cash option would get $205.3 million. That drawing will be held Friday night.
For those who don't win Friday, there's always the Powerball. The estimated jackpot stands at $455 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing. The cash option is an estimated $269.4 million.
No one has won it all on either game since early January. The last Powerball winner was a New Hampshire resident who won the $559.7 million jackpot. A judge ruled this week that she can continue to stay anonymous as she collects the winnings of the eighth-largest jackpot in U.S. history.
Dreaming of hitting the jackpot might just take players' minds off the string of nor'easters that have been slamming New England, the lottery says.
"The excitement building around these two jackpots is a welcome diversion from the disruption caused by the recent string of storms," said Michael Sweeney, executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery, in a statement. "We remind people to keep the experience of playing these games fun by playing responsibly."