Double Jackpot Wins In The USA This Week
Published September 24, 2016 by Arthur M
The two biggest lottery jackpots in the USA were both won this week, with a ticketholder from Georgia scooping the $246 million Powerball jackpot and an unidentified ticket matching the numbers for the $133 million Mega Millions prize.
It's been a lucky week in America as both the Powerball and Mega Millions lottery jackpots have been won. On Saturday 17th, a Powerball ticket bought in the state of Georgia matched the white balls numbers 09 19 51 55 62 and the Powerball number 14 to scoop the grand prize of $264 million, while on Friday 16th, a single ticket matched the Mega Millions numbers 13 21 28 34 40 plus the gold Mega Ball 15 to win $133 million.
It's not clear yet whether these were held by individuals or syndicates, or if the winners have chosen to have the whole prizes paid out in instalments over 30 years, or to go for the cash options which gives them immediate riches, minus the taxes that apply to US jackpots.
It could also be the case that either or both could have bought through one of the online lottery ticket agencies such as The Lotter, Play USA Lotteries or Jackpot.com Lottery, all of which have opened up these and other major games from around the world to a much wider audience.
How To Play US Lotteries
The Powerball lottery costs $2 per play and to win it tickets must match the 5 main numbers from a pool of 69, plus the single Powerball from a set of 26. Matching the 5 main balls alone wins a $1 million prize, while a Powerplay option costs an extra $1 and will multiply any wins below this level by up to 5 times over. The Powerball is drawn on Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 11 pm EST in Tallahassee Florida. Once the jackpot is won, it is re-set at a starting value of $40 million and rolls over until a winning ticket is bought.
To win the Mega Millions lottery jackpot, players will need to have matched 5 main numbers from 75 plus a single Mega Ball number from 15, which costs $1 per play, or $2 if the Megaplier, which is similar to the Powerplay option is taken. Mega Millions draws take place at 11 pm EST on Tuesday and Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia. The Mega Millions has a starting value of $15 million.
