Powerball and Mega Millions both top $400 million heading into weekend draws

ORLANDO, FL — Apr 24, 2026

Both major multi-state lotteries are primed for weekend jackpot races, with Powerball expected to exceed $450 million by Saturday night and Mega Millions sitting at $410 million ahead of Friday's draw. Neither game has crowned a grand-prize winner in nearly two months, setting up the kind of ticket-buying surge that historically precedes seven-figure secondary-tier hits.

The combined jackpot pool across both games now tops $860 million — a threshold that typically draws casual and serious players alike. Powerball's current rollover streak stands at 38 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner, the longest active streak since the game's multi-state redesign in January 2015. Mega Millions' drought extends to 44 draws, a notable dry spell that has kept the annuity climbing through late March and into late April. For comparison, the 2016 Powerball mega-jackpot that reached $1.586 billion followed a 20-draw rollover; the current streak has already doubled that.

Why this matters now

Rollover streaks of this length do not mean a jackpot is "due." The odds of winning the Powerball grand prize remain 1 in 292,201,338 on every single draw, regardless of how many times the prize has rolled over. But rollover droughts do shift player behavior in concrete ways: ticket sales climb, secondary prizes compound, and state lottery commissions report measurably higher revenue per draw.

The Powerball Product Group, which oversees the multi-state game, has stated in its official rules that "the jackpot accumulates when no ticket matches all six winning numbers." That straightforward mechanic — no skill involved, pure chance — is what drives the mathematical certainty that eventually, someone will win. The current 38-draw streak makes that eventual winner's timing unpredictable. It could happen Saturday. It could happen next month.

Powerball's trajectory into the weekend

Powerball draws Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights at 10:59 PM Eastern time. Saturday's draw will be the third of the week, and the lottery's official projections point to a $450 million annuity jackpot if Wednesday's draw (tonight) does not produce a winner. That number assumes average ticket sales; higher-than-typical demand could push the Saturday jackpot to $475 million or beyond.

The cash-value option on a $450 million Powerball jackpot would be roughly $225 million, depending on U.S. Treasury interest rates when the winner claims. Winners have split almost evenly between annuity and cash options in recent years, though the cash choice has gained ground among winners aged 45 and under, according to state lottery data published by the Multi-State Lottery Association.

To contextualize: $450 million ranks in the top 20 Powerball jackpots of all time, but well below the stratospheric peaks. The January 2016 jackpot of $1.586 billion and the August 2017 jackpot of $758.7 million remain the two largest. The most recent Powerball jackpot above $500 million hit in September 2024 at $640 million; that draw produced one winner in California. Before that, the site went dark for jackpots in that range for roughly 18 months.

Mega Millions' parallel drought

Mega Millions draws Tuesday and Friday nights. Friday's draw will carry a $410 million advertised jackpot, with a cash option valued at approximately $205 million. The 44-draw rollover streak is more extreme by the numbers — nearly 11 weeks without a jackpot winner — but Mega Millions' historical baseline makes that streak less unusual than Powerball's. Mega Millions has longer average gaps between jackpot winners, owing to marginally worse overall odds (1 in 290,472,336 versus Powerball's 1 in 292,201,338) and smaller participant state pool.

The most recent Mega Millions jackpot winner claimed in late January 2026, a $560 million annuity in Florida. The winner, identity undisclosed under Florida law, had 180 days to claim the prize. Before that, a $358 million Mega Millions jackpot went to a single ticket holder in New York in November 2025. The gap between major winners is partly randomness and partly driven by ticket sales; fewer tickets bought in a given month means lower odds of a jackpot match.

Secondary prizes and the rollover effect

While the jackpots grab headlines, rollover streaks of this length historically produce upticks in secondary-tier wins — $1 million (five white balls), $10,000 (four white balls plus the Powerball), and other mid-tier matches. Ticket sales during a 38-draw dry spell on Powerball likely climbed 30 to 50 percent above baseline by draw 25 or 30, according to data from past rollover streaks. More tickets in circulation means more opportunities for second- and third-tier wins, even though the jackpot odds remain unchanged.

Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky have reported particularly high ticket sales in recent weeks, suggesting regional surges in Powerball play. Those states allow anonymous ticket claims, which may explain why some winners at secondary tiers have gone unreported; claiming a $1 million Powerball second-tier prize does not require public disclosure in those jurisdictions.

The cash option question

Powerball's starting jackpot is $20 million annuity; Mega Millions' is also $20 million annuity. Both games now sit well above that. For a $450 million Powerball annuity, the cash option represents a lump sum payment that, as of April 2026, hovers near the 50 percent mark — historically the norm in a stable-rate environment. A Mega Millions $410 million annuity would yield a similar cash-value ratio, roughly 50 percent.

Winners should know: choosing cash does not change federal or state withholding rates. A cash-option winner in a high-income state like California still faces a 24 percent federal withholding, plus state income tax (13.3 percent in California). The annuity option spreads those tax liabilities across 30 years, which can matter for overall tax planning — a topic for a financial advisor, not a lottery reporter.

What happens if someone wins Saturday or Friday

If either draw produces a jackpot winner, the following draw's jackpot resets to the starting amount ($20 million annuity). That would end both the Powerball and Mega Millions drought streaks immediately. Recent history shows that after a multi-month dry spell, ticket sales often remain elevated for two or three draws after a winner is announced, as interest in "fresh" rolling jackpots attracts players who follow the news cycle.

If neither draw produces a winner — the statistically likely outcome — both jackpots will climb again. Powerball's Wednesday draw (tonight) will determine Saturday's advertised amount; Mega Millions' Friday draw will set the stage for the next Tuesday draw on April 29.

Playing the lottery should be an entertainment expense, not a financial strategy. The odds of a single Powerball ticket matching all six numbers are worse than catching lightning twice in the same lifetime, and no rollover streak, however long, changes that probability.

Sources

• Multi-State Lottery Association Powerball game rules and odds: musl.com/powerball
• Mega Millions official game information and odds: megamillions.com
• Powerball product group drawing schedule: powerball.com/news
• Louisiana Lottery anonymous claim procedures: louisianalottery.com