Powerball, Mega Millions Soar To Combined $1.9B: What To Know In CA

CALIFORNIA — Lottery fever is gripping residents of the Golden State as Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots total $1.9 billion in drawings to be held Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

The Powerball jackpot for Monday’s drawing is currently $800 million, with a cash payout of $384.8 million. The jackpot grew after no one matched the numbers in Saturday’s drawing — 6, 23, 25, 34 and 51, and red Powerball of 3.

California players must buy their Powerball tickets by 7 p.m. to be eligible for Monday’s drawing at 7:59 Pacific Time. Drawings are held at the same time on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing is the larger of the two. It is currently at $1.1 billion, with a cash value of $525.8 million. Numbers in Friday’s drawing were 3, 8, 31, 35, 44 and the gold Mega Ball of 16.

To be eligible for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, California players must buy their tickets by 7:45 p.m. Drawings for this game are held at 8 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The jackpot prizes in each game may be paid over 30 years, but most winners take the lump sum. Then the federal government takes its cut off the top.

All but eight states — California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming — also tax lottery prizes. Individuals in California are not required to pay state taxes on their winnings but are still subject to federal income taxes.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are steep — about 1 in 292.2 million. For perspective, the odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are even steeper — about 1 in 302.6 million.

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