Wednesday night's $440 million Powerball jackpot, the ninth largest in that game's history. Its odds of winning are 1 in more than 292 million.
Mega Millions was modified in October with new rules and a ticket price increase, more than doubling the starting jackpots. Such large jackpots for both Powerball and Mega Millions are rare, said Dennis Rosebrough, public relations director for the Hoosier Lottery. Typically, if one hits, the other continues to grow.
"The games were designed this way," he said. "Because we know that our players are driven — they’re motivated by big jackpots."
What happens if no one wins? The jackpot will continue to grow, and players will have another chance to win, Rosebrough said.
The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for 11 p.m. Friday, and the next Powerball drawing is scheduled for the same time Saturday.
Ever wonder what that Mega Millions Megaplier could do? It multiplies those consolation prizes for players who didn't get all the numbers but got some.
For example, a person who matched all five Mega Millions numbers but didn't get the Mega Ball normally would win $1 million. Tuesday night's 4x Megaplier would boost that to $4 million. And even matching the Mega Ball, generally guaranteed to get you $2, would raise your stakes to $8.