Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots surge to $1.1B: Can you win both?

(NEXSTAR) – Lottery players may be in for a treat this week. The current Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are worth a combined $1.135 billion, potentially paving the way for someone to become one of the largest lottery winners of all time — if they can overcome the odds.

No ticket matched the winning numbers (5, 25, 36, 40, 48, and red ball 3) in Monday’s Powerball drawing, allowing the jackpot to grow to an estimated $498 million. It now ranks as the largest Powerball jackpot of the year, and the 21st-largest in game history, well behind a $526.5 million prize won by a ticket in California last year.

Meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot sits at an estimated $637 million. Unless it grows before Tuesday night’s drawing, which is possible, it will stand as the 12th-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history, behind a $648 million prize split by two tickets in 2013. It is, however, the largest Mega Millions jackpot of 2026.

At their combined estimated value of $1.135 billion, the jackpots would rank as the eighth-largest lottery payout in U.S. history behind a $1.537 billion Mega Millions payout secured by a South Carolina ticket in 2018.

Securing either jackpot is a momentous feat, and securing both is even more complex. In fact, there are no records to show that a player has won both a Powerball and a Mega Millions jackpot.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, of course. There is even a way to ensure your victory, as long as you have the bankroll to do it.

Your odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290.47 million. For Powerball, it’s 1 in 292.2 million.

Lottery players have been known to use numerous methods to hopefully give themselves an edge when vying for a large jackpot. Maybe it’s hot and cold numbers, or specific combinations of numbers (math experts warn, however, that neither option is a sure-fire way to win). Some also try the Delta Lotto System, which uses a bit of math to reduce the number of digits you’ll pick from, though many note it doesn’t take probability into account. Or maybe you’ll turn to AI for advice, like a Michigan woman did last year to win $100,000.

Regardless of how you pick your numbers for either game, they’ll have the same odds as the numbers the next player selects.

The only way to guarantee you win both the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots (or any jackpot) is to buy more tickets.

Buying 100 tickets, for example, cuts your odds to 1 in 2.9 million in Mega Millions and 1 in 2.92 million in Powerball. To make your odds 1 in 1, you would have to buy every possible permutation of numbers in both games.

For the Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday, that would set you back $1,452,361,680. Not only is that more than double the jackpot, it’s more than you could earn by also winning the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday. And to secure victory in Powerball, you would have to spend $584,402,676 on tickets.

“However you play, there’s a high probability of losing all your money. I would advise people not to risk money that they can’t afford to lose,” warned Andrew Perry, a professor at Springfield College, while speaking to Nexstar’s WWLP.

Luckily, hundreds of Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have been won by people who have not, presumably, purchased hundreds and hundreds of tickets.

If you’re ready to try your luck, Mega Millions tickets are $5 each and sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The next drawing is at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Powerball tickets are $2 each and sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game’s next drawing is at 10:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday.