CHARLESTON, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – A weekend of unmatched winning numbers has put both West Virginia’s Mega Million and Powerball lotteries over the $700 million mark for the first time.
The state had more than 22,000 tickets win a prize in Saturday’s Powerball drawing, which included a one-million-dollar Match-5 winning ticket that was sold in Vienna and a $50,000 four-plus Power Ball winning ticket in Morgantown.
Lottery officials stated that this Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot is estimated at $850 million. If won, this will be the second-largest jackpot in game history and the third-largest in U.S. lottery history.
The Powerball currently sits at $730 million- the highest it has been since March of 2019. If won, this will be the fourth-largest jackpot in game history and the sixth-largest in U.S. history.
This is currently the longest run in both Powerball and Mega Millions history, with both lotteries on their 36th draw this week.
If the winner chooses the annuity option the prize is the total of the jackpot, paid over 30 years; however, cash prizes, which are typically the winners’ preferred method of payment, are lower than the current jackpot total.
Cash prizes currently stand at $546 million for the Powerball and $628.2 million for Mega Millions.
John Meyers, West Virginia Lottery Director, encourages players to check their tickets for a win but reminds them to always play responsibly. Visit megamillions.com and wvlottery.com for more information.