After a winner-less weekend, the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have surged yet again. Combined, they’re worth an estimated $1.52 billion.
The current Powerball jackpot sits at an estimated $645 million while the Mega Millions jackpot is at an estimated $875 million — the sixth-largest in game history.
Your odds at winning either are overwhelmingly slim: about 1 in 292.2 million at the Powerball jackpot, and roughly 1 in 302.6 million for the Mega Millions grand prize.
Still, there are some methods lottery players swear by to increase their odds at both jackpots. Among those are playing in a state that frequently wins — or has yet to win, depending on if you prefer a “hot” or “cold” situation.
Since 2003, of the 49 jurisdictions that participate in Powerball, only five have not sold a jackpot ticket: Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, Wyoming and the Virgin Islands.
Game data dating back to 2002 shows 18 states and the Virgin Islands have yet to sell a jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia.
If your state is one of those listed above, does that mean it’s due for a win? A state may be considered “due,” or rather, “overdue,” if it hasn’t had a jackpot in a while, or no jackpot at all.
To understand, you might want to know when your state last had a grand prize lottery winner.
Let’s start with Powerball, which already had a jackpot victory this year: a $842.4 million prize hit in January by a ticket sold in Michigan. It was the state’s first jackpot since February 2020. Only four states saw a jackpot last year: Washington, Virginia, Ohio and California (which had two, back-to-back).
Other states haven’t had a jackpot since the 2000s. That includes Idaho, which had two Powerball jackpots in 2005, but none since. New Mexico hasn’t sold a grand prize ticket since 2008, while South Dakota, Oklahoma and the District of Columbia have been jackpot winner-less since 2009.
The interactive map below shows the last year each state sold a grand prize Powerball ticket. States that are red and orange have had a jackpot since 2015, while those shaded blue haven’t seen a big Powerball winner since before then.
When it comes to Mega Millions, participating states have been a bit more successful (except, of course, those states still hoping for their first jackpot).
California had the most recent Mega Millions victory with a $394 million jackpot hit by two tickets sold at the same gas station in December. Five other states had a grand prize in 2023: Florida, Maine (the state’s first Mega Millions jackpot), Massachusetts, New York and Texas.
It’s Idaho again, though, that seems to be the most overdue for a Mega Millions jackpot. It hasn’t sold a grand prize-winning ticket since 2011. The same goes for North Carolina.
The interactive map below again shows when each state saw its last mega-win in Mega Millions. Those colored red and orange have struck luck since 2015. Unlike the Powerball map above, there are more states in black.
Just because a state is still looking for its first jackpot doesn’t mean it’s “unlucky.” During this current Mega Millions run, for example, Connecticut and Mississippi have sold tickets worth $1 million or more, according to game officials.
Still, you may view those winner-less states as “overdue” for a jackpot and consider buying a ticket there. Or maybe, you prefer a “hot” state that has recently had a ticket or two that scored the biggest-possible payouts.
Before you rush across state lines to buy Powerball or Mega Millions tickets, you should remember that every draw has an equally slim chance of hitting either jackpot.
But somebody has to win eventually, right?
Tickets for both games start at $2 each. Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7:59 p.m. The lottery game is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to Tuesdays, drawings are held on Fridays at 8 p.m.
