ALBUQUERQUE – The Mega Millions® jackpot has reached an estimated $1.6 billion for the Tuesday, October 23rd draw. It’s the highest jackpot in world history, surpassing the Powerball® January 2016 jackpot of $1.5 billion.
Powerball is not far behind, climbing to an estimated $620 million jackpot for the Wednesday, October 24th draw. This is the third largest jackpot in Powerball’s history and the sixth largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
Mega Millions and Powerball players are not the only ones with a chance to win. In New Mexico, 100% of net proceeds benefit the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program. That means a portion of every ticket sold helps fund the dream of a college education.
Please Play Responsibly
New Mexico Lottery CEO David Barden says, “It only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly and be familiar with player safeguards.” Sign your ticket, check your numbers, and listen for the winner tune when you have a winning ticket checked. New Mexico Lottery tickets expire 90 days from the date of the drawing.
New Mexico Lottery players have until 8:45 p.m. MT Tuesday to buy tickets for the Mega Millions drawing. And they have until 8:00 p.m. MT Wednesday night to buy tickets for the Powerball drawing.
How to Play Mega Millions
Mega Millions is played in 46 lotteries. To play, players choose five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25. Players can also ask for a “Quick Pick,” a set of numbers chosen randomly by the lottery’s gaming system. Each wager costs $2.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight prize levels from $2 to $1 million. The game’s Megaplier® option multiplies non-jackpot prizes 2-5 times. Megaplier costs an additional $1 per play per drawing.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are approximately 1 in 303 million. The overall odds of winning a Mega Millions prize are approximately 1 in 24.
How to Play Powerball
Powerball is played in 47 lotteries. To play, players choose five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Players can also ask for a “Quick Pick,” a set of numbers chosen randomly by the lottery’s gaming system. Each wager costs $2.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight prize levels from $4 to $1 million. The game’s Power Play® option multiplies non-jackpot prizes and will double the $1 million prize to $2 million automatically. Power Play costs an additional $1 per play per drawing.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 292 million. The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are approximately 1 in 25.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
The New Mexico Lottery has raised $788 million for education in New Mexico. More than 116,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.