DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery players have a chance at winning two giant jackpots that together amount to nearly US$800 million.
The Mega Millions drawing will take place Tuesday night, offering players an annuity jackpot of $343 million, paid over 29 years. The game’s cash option is an estimated $215 million. It’s the largest Mega Millions prize since a $393 million drawing last August.
On Wednesday night, players of the Powerball game will seek a $440 million annuity prize, or a $278.3 million cash prize. Powerball hasn’t had such a big prize since August, when a Massachusetts player won a $758.7 million jackpot.
In this Aug. 24, 2017 file photo, Mavis Wanczyk, of Chicopee, Mass., smiles during a news conference where she claimed the $758.7 million Powerball prize at Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters in Braintree, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, File)
The odds of winning jackpots in either game are incredibly small. Mega Millions has odds of one in 302.6 million and Powerball is slightly better at one in 292.2 million.
