Powerball and Mega Millions

Powerball and Mega Millions: A state-by-state ranking of jackpot winners

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UPDATE: Powerball lottery: 2 tickets match $687.8M jackpot winning numbers, 2 N.J. tickets win $1M

By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Though the Powerball and Mega Millions lottery games have awarded billions in prizes over years, there's never been a week quite like this one.

A day after someone in South Carolina won a Mega Millions record $1.537 million jackpot, the top prize for Powerball climbed to $687.8 million making it the first week in lottery history where more than $2 billion in jackpots were up for grabs.

By contrast, when three ticket holders split the $1.5864 billion Powerball jackpot on Jan. 13, 2016, Mega Millions' top prize a night earlier was a mere $15 million.

Tuesday's 10-figure prize marked the 180th jackpot won in Mega Millions' 16-year history. In all there have been 204 jackpot winning tickets. The $687.8 million Powerball prize won on Saturday by two tickets was the fourth largest in lottery history.

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If there's been a theme for the two games over the years, it's been, bigger, bigger and still bigger - more participating states, longer jackpot odds and larger prizes.

Powerball has been around for 26 years and has produced more than 300 jackpot winners.

Of the 25 largest jackpots, 15 are Powerball and 10 are Mega Millions. All but one of those prizes has been won since 2012 as lottery officials changed the games to make them harder to win and drive up the size of jackpots.

The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot were about 55 million to 1 when the game made its debut in 1992 in 15 states: Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Hoosier (Indiana), Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington DC, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Back then jackpots started at $2 million - these days the minimum jackpot is $40 million.

The odds changed to about 80 million to 1 in 1997 and by 2002 were 120 million to 1. Players' chances to hit the jackpot also worsened in 2005, 2009, 2012 and finally in 2015 when they reached the current 292,201,338 to 1.

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Can I claim Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpots anonymously?

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Mega Millions had even more modest beginnings when it originated in 1996 as The Big Game. It included just six states - Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia - with drawings held one a week.

In 1998, Mega Millions added a Tuesday drawing to go with the one on Friday night. A year later, New Jersey became the seventh state to offer the game.

As late as 2010, the Mega Millions was only offered in 12 states. That year, Mega Millions and Powerball struck a cross-selling deal where both games could be offered in a state. That added 23 more states to the Mega Millions mix. It was also when New Jersey began selling Powerball tickets.

Mega Millions jackpots also start at $40 million, but it's even tougher to win than the Powerball - a $2 ticket is about 1 in 302 million shot to to collect the big prize.

There have been 20 Mega Millions and eight Powerball jackpot winning tickets sold in the Garden State.

Saturday's Powerball jackpot is the third largest in the game's history and the fourth-biggest in U.S. lottery history.

Both games are offered in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico only sells Powerball tickets. There are no lottery sales in Alaska, Alabama, Hawaii Mississippi, Nevada and Utah.

Here's a state-by-state ranking of Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot winners through the years (including earlier iterations of the multi-state games.)

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4 states and Virgin Islands - 0 jackpot winners

Four of the 44 states that sell Powerball and Mega Millions tickets have gone without a jackpot winner in either multi-state lottery. Those still getting blanked are Maine, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. The Virgin Islands also offer both games, but have not had a jackpot winner.

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Alabama - 1 jackpot

Alabama has had just one multi-state lottery win - a Mega Millions jackpot worth $12 million in 2003.

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Akansas - 2 jackpots

Arkansas has two multi-state lottery wins - one each for Powerball and Mega Millions. The most recent was a $177 million Mega Millions jackpot in 2017.

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Puerto Rico - 2 jackpots

Puerto Rico has been the home to two Powerball winning jackpots, but no Mega Millions. Both Powerball wins were in 2015 and one of them was for a three-way split of a $564 million jackpot, which currently ranks 9th on the top jackpot list.

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Colorado - 3 jackpots

Tickets sold in Colorado have landed three Powerball jackpots, but no Mega Millions winners so far. The largest, and most recent, was a $133 million jackpot in 2017.

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South Dakota - 3 jackpots

South Dakota has been home to three Powerball jackpot wins to date, but no Mega Millions. The most recent was a $232 million jackpot in 2009.

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Montana - 4 jackpots

Montana has had 4 Powerball jackpot winners, but no Mega Millions to date. The most recent was a two-way share of a $97 million jackpot in 2010.

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Oklahoma - 4 jackpots

The Powerball jackpot has been won four times in Oklahoma, but there have been no Mega Millions winners so far. Two of those jackpot wins topped $100 million - a $105 million jackpot in 2007 and $102 million in 2006.

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New Mexico - 5 jackpots

New Mexico tickets have claimed 5 multi-state lottery jackpots - all Powerball wins. That includes a $206 million win in 2008. The state has not been home to any Mega Millions jackpot winners.

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Oregon - 5 jackpots

Tickets sold in Oregon have claimed five Powerball jackpots, but no Mega Millions to date. The most recent was a $150 million jackpot in June.

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Idaho - 6 jackpots

Tickets sold in Idaho have won five Powerball and one Mega Millions jackpots. The Mega Millions winner was a two-way split of a $380 million jackpot in 2011.

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North Carolina - 6 jackpots

North Carolina has had four Powerball jackpot winners and two Mega Millions winners. One of those Powerball winners was a notable three-way split of a $564 million jackpot shared with two other tickets sold in Puerto Rico and Texas.

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Washington - 6 jackpots

Tickets sold in Washington state have claimed five Mega Millions jackpots and one Powerball top prize. The most recent were a pair of Mega Million wins in 2016 worth $25 million and $157 million.

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Massachusetts - 7 jackpots

Massachusetts tickets have claimed four Powerball and three Mega Millions jackpots. The biggest by far was the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot won in 2017. That currently ranks as the third largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.

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Tennessee - 7 jackpots

Tennessee ticket holders have won six Powerball jackpots and one Mega Millions. One of the Powerball wins was the record-setting $1.58 billion jackpot won in 2016. That jackpot was split with two other tickets sold in California and Florida.

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Connecticut - 8 jackpots

Tickets sold in Connecticut have one 8 multi-state jackpots - all Powerball wins - though it's been a while since the last one. One ticket sold in Connecticut won $254 million in 2011. There have been no Mega Millions winners from the state.

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South Carolina - 8 jackpots

South Carolina has just one Mega Millions jackpot win, but it was a monster and currently stands as the largest jackpot won by a single ticket at $1.537 billion. It was won in October 2018. The state has also had seven Powerball jackpot winners.

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West Virginia - 8 jackpots

All eight of West Virginia's big jackpot wins were for Powerball drawings. The biggest was a $276 million jackpot won in 2008. The state hasn't had any Mega Millions winners.

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Iowa - 9 jackpots

All of the nine jackpots won in Iowa have come in the Powerball lottery game. The state has been blanked on Mega Millions top prizes. The most recent win for Iowa came in Saturday's big $687.8 million Powerball jackpot, the fourth largest in lottery history.

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Rhode Island - 9 jackpots

The smallest state in the U.S. has sold tickets that won eight Powerball and one Mega Millions jackpots. Two of the Powerball wins came within weeks of each other in 2012 - $60 million and $336 million.

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Delaware - 10 jackpots

There have been 10 jackpots won in Delaware, all of the Powerball. The top among those is $214.7 million shared by 33 coworkers in 2004.

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Nebraska - 10 jackpots

Nebraska has had 10 Powerball jackpot winners, but no Mega Millions to date. The largest was a $365 million jackpot in 2006.

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Virginia - 10 jackpots

Virginia has had nine Mega Millions jackpot winners and one for the Powerball top prize. The most recent win was a modest $15 million Mega Millions jackpot in 2016 that was split by two ticket holders.

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New Hampshire - 11 jackpots

All 11 of New Hampshire jackpot wins were for Powerball jackpots. The most recent was a big one at $559.7 million won in January. That currently ranks 10th among the largest in lottery history.

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Washington, D.C. - 11 jackpots

The nation's capital has been a lucky spot for Powerball wins. All 11 jackpots won in the District of Columbia were in that multi-state game, and none for Mega Millions. But it has been a while since the last win - $144 million in 2009.

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Kansas - 12 jackpots

Kansas has had 11 Powerball and one Mega Millions jackpot wins. The Mega Millions win in 2012 was a three-way split of a $656 million jackpot, the second-largest in the game's history.

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Arizona - 13 jackpots

All 13 jackpots won in Arizona have been for Powerball top prizes. One of those was a two-way split of a $587.5 million jackpot in 2012.

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Maryland - 13 jackpots

Maryland has sold winning tickets for 11 Mega Millions and two Powerball jackpots. The most recent win for a $414 million Mega Millions jackpot, which was split with another ticket in Florida.

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Florida - 14 jackpots

Florida tickets have won the Powerball jackpot 12 times and Mega Millions twice. The most recent was a $451 million Mega Millions jackpot in January.

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Illinois - 14 jackpots

The Mega Millions jackpot has been won 12 times by tickets sold in Illinois. Tickets sold in the state have also won two Powerball jackpots. The most recent jackpot was for a $393 million Mega Millions drawing in 2017.

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Texas - 14 jackpots

Texas has had 12 Mega Million and two Powerball jackpot wins. The Powerball jackpots include a share of the $564 million top prize in 2015 that was split by three tickets.

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Wisconsin - 16 jackpots

All 16 of Wisconsin's jackpot wins have come through the Powerball. The most recent was a $156 million jackpot in 2017.

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Louisiana - 17 jackpots

Louisiana has had 17 jackpot winners, all of them for Powerball. The most recent was for $191 million in 2017. That was also the largest for the state.

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Kentucky - 18 jackpots

All 18 jackpots won in Kentucky were for the Powerball. The most recent was a $37.5 million jackpot split between two tickets in 2010. The other ticket was sold in Illinois.

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Michigan - 20 jackpots

Michigan tickets have won 17 Mega Millions and three Powerball jackpots. The largest of the Mega Millions jackpots was $208 million in 2005, while the top Powerball jackpot was $337 million in 2012.

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Pennsylvania - 20 jackpots

Pennsylvania has had 18 Powerball jackpot winners and two for Mega Millions. The most recent win was for $486.7 million in March 2018.

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Georgia - 21 jackpots

The Mega Millions jackpot has been won 15 times in Georgia. Powerball jackpots have been won in the state six times. In 2013, a Mega Millions ticket sold in Georgia split a $648 million jackpot with another ticket sold in California.

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Minnesota - 22 jackpots

Minnesota has been home to 22 Powerball jackpot winning tickets, but no Mega Millions winners to date. The most recent was a ticket that shared a three-way split of a $448 million jackpot in 2013. The other two tickets were sold in New Jersey.

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Ohio - 22 jackpots

There have been 19 Mega Millions jackpot winning tickets sold in Ohio and three for the Powerball. The most recent was a $142 million jackpot in March 2018.

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New Jersey - 28 jackpots

New Jersey has had 20 Mega Millions jackpot winners and eight for Powerball drawings. A Mega Millions ticket sold in March 2018 was worth $533 million, the largest jackpot in the state's history.

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Missouri - 32 jackpots

The Powerball jackpot has been won 31 times for tickets sold in Missouri. The state has also had one Mega Millions jackpot winner. The most recent Powerball winner ($70 million jackpot) and the lone Mega Millions win ($25 million) were both in July 2015.

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California - 40 jackpots

California, which has the highest population in the nation, ranks near the top in total jackpot wins with 32 Mega Millions and eight Powerball. The most recent was a $543 million Mega Millions jackpot in July 2018. A month earlier, a California ticket won a $447 million Powerball drawing.

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Indiana - 41 jackpots

Indiana has racked up 39 Powerball jackpots, the most of any state, in addition to two Mega Millions jackpot winners. Indiana joined the Powerball lottery (then known as Lotto America) in 1990 and many of those jackpots came in the early years of the Powerball game.

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New York - 44 jackpots

Tickets sold in New York have won the most Mega Millions jackpots of any state at 36. In addition, there have been eight Powerball winning tickets sold in New York. The most recent was the big $687.8 million Powerball jackpot split with another ticket sold in Iowa for Saturday's drawing.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.