Mega Millions, Powerball Jackpots Combined Are Now Almost $1 Billion
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By: AJ Willingham, CNN
(CNN) - Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing is worth $654 million, and Wednesday's Powerball jackpot stands at $345 million. Together, that's $999 million -- a mere seven-figure whisper away from a cool billion dollars.
The reason these jackpots have ballooned to such monstrous proportions is because, well, no one has won in a while. According to a release from Mega Millions, the last Mega Millions jackpot was won July 24, netting 11 co-workers a combined $543 million. The last Powerball jackpot, which totaled $245.6 million, was won Aug. 11 by a man in Staten Island, New York.
Believe it or not, this week's combined billion-dollar haul is not the biggest prize in the lottery's history. That honor goes to a 2016 Powerball jackpot, which clocked in at $1.586 billion (although it was shared by three winners).
Of course, the actual amount you'll win is considerably less than a billion dollars, not just because of taxes and annuities and fine print things. The amount you will win is likely zero, because the odds of winning either jackpot are one in several hundred million.
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