Lincoln – Powerball® and Mega Millions® are saying goodbye to 2021 with big jackpots, and the Nebraska Lottery reminds customers to play responsibly.
A string of drawings without a jackpot winner has grown the estimated Powerball jackpot to its highest level since October. There have been 36 consecutive drawings since October 6 without a jackpot winner. This run has grown the estimated jackpot for the Wednesday, December 29 drawing to $441 million or $317.5 million with the cash option selected.
Mega Millions has also seen its jackpot grow over the last few months. There have been 19 drawings since October 26 without a jackpot winner. The estimated jackpot for the Friday, December 31 drawing is $221 million or $159.6 million with the cash option selected.
The dual jackpot runs have produced some large Nebraska winners.
- A $10,000 Mega Millions winning ticket for the November 12 drawing was sold at Pump & Pantry #06, 3355 W Stolley Park Road in Grand Island.
- A $30,000 Mega Millions with Megaplier winning ticket for the November 16 drawing was sold at Russ's Market #16, 4400 S 33rd Street Court in Lincoln.
- A $20,000 Mega Millions with Megaplier winning ticket for the November 30 drawing was sold at Hy-Vee Food Store #1620, 2501 Cornhusker Plaza in South Sioux City.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot on record occurred in October 2018 when one winner in South Carolina won a $1.537 billion jackpot. The largest Powerball jackpot on record occurred in January 2016 when three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee split a $1.586 billion jackpot.
Play Responsibly
Because of the high jackpots, the Nebraska Lottery encourages customers to play within their means. “It’s important for Nebraska Lottery players to remember that no matter how large the jackpot is, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million, and the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million,” said Lottery Director Brian Rockey. “Your odds of winning remain the same, regardless of how many tickets are purchased or how many people play.” If you or someone you know has a problem with compulsive gambling, free help is available at problemgambling.nebraska.gov.
The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $843 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.