News Release Nebraska Lottery
Two big jackpots are up for grabs in the next Powerball® and Mega Millions® drawings. Because of these high jackpots, 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 January. There have been 32 consecutive drawings since June 9 without a jackpot winner. This run has grown the estimated jackpot for the Wednesday, September 15 drawing to $432 million or $313.5 million with the cash option selected.
Mega Millions has also seen its jackpot grow over the last few months. There have been 28 drawings since June 11 without a jackpot winner. The estimated jackpot for the Friday, September 17 drawing is $405 million or $294.7 million with the cash option selected.
The dual jackpot runs have produced some large Nebraska winners.
- A $10,002 winning Mega Millions ticket for the June 25 drawing was sold at Hy-Vee Food Store #03, 8809 West Center Road in Omaha.
- A $50,000 Powerball winning ticket for the June 30 drawing was sold at Casey's General Store #3813, 9911 S 71st Street in Papillion;
- A $50,000 Powerball ticket for the August 4 drawing was sold at Quik Trip #587, 4404 No 72nd Street in Omaha;
- A $50,000 Powerball winning ticket for the August 18 drawing was sold at Reed's Food Center, 120 South Walnut Street in Arnold; and
- A $10,000 Mega Millions winning ticket for the August 31 drawing was sold at Murphy Express #8811, 4111 S 132nd Street in Omaha.
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 $831 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.