The Mega Millions jackpot rises to $875 million

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — If you're feeling a little St. Patrick's Day magic, you might want to buy lottery ticket. Mega Millions and Powerball received some huge jackpots after weeks of rollovers.

The Mega Millions jackpot is already valued at a whopping $875 million in Tuesday night's drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Friday night. The Powerball jackpot on Saturday night is $600 million.

Just keep in mind that The odds of winning any lottery prize are very slim. Mega Millions players have a 1 in 302.6 million chance of hitting the jackpot. And it's not much easier to hit the Powerball jackpot with odds approaching 1 in 292.2 million.

But the excitement remains.

This is only the sixth time in Mega Millions' nearly 22-year history that a jackpot has been this large — and five of those six jackpots have exceeded $1 billion, according to a Mega Millions statement. The winning tickets were sold in South Carolina, Michigan, and Illinois. who And Florida.

There was a big winner in the Mega Millions drawing on Friday nights. A ticket in New York matched all five white balls drawn on Friday night, and it would win $1 million.

Lottery officials said the Mega Millions jackpot has occurred 28 times since Dec. 8, when two winning tickets were drawn in California. Mega Millions drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday night.

Mega Millions isn't the only current jackpot worth millions of dollars. Saturday night's Powerball jackpot was estimated at $600 million after no one matched all six numbers on Wednesday, officials said.

This was the 32nd Powerball rollover since January 1, when a ticket was issued Michigan He won a prize worth $842.4 million. The Powerball drawing is drawn three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

If you are lucky enough to win any of the grand prizes, Robert Pagliarini, President and Principal Financial Advisor of Pacifica Wealth Advisors, Inc. In Irvine, California, some advice.

“Take a deep breath,” Pagliarini told The Associated Press. “You will be faced with many tax, legal and financial decisions, so I want you to stay calm, because when you are calm you can make much better decisions.”

Pagliarini suggested forming a team to help make decisions, including a lawyer, a tax expert and a financial advisor with experience dealing with windfalls.

“Finally, even though you have professionals guiding you, don't forget that it's your money and you're in charge — they work for you. Ask questions and have them explain things until you understand them. The goal is to turn your sudden wealth into lasting wealth,” he said.

Mega Millions tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball tickets are also priced at $2 and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.