Last November, the Powerball jackpot eclipsed $2 billion, before it was finally won by a California man. It was the largest lottery jackpot of all time. Now, in January 2023, the Mega Millions jackpot is closing in on the $1 billion mark.
That made us wonder: Are massive jackpots like these becoming more common?
"So, if you look at that last year or so it may seem like we've had larger jackpots more frequently," Jake Harris, player relations manager for the Michigan Lottery told WWJ's Brian Fisher for the Daily J podcast. "And I'd say that's just a product of lottery games being random games of chance."
"You never know when the jackpot is going to be won, where it's going to be won — you can't predict that. It really just comes down to the randomness of the game."
Harris said sometimes we so have these jackpot runs that go on for awhile, leading to these eyepopping jackpots. However, if you look back at last year, there were also two Mega Millions jackpots won on April 12 and then again on April 15, not allowing the pot much time to grow.
In short, Harris said, the two big lottery jackpots so close together is nothing more than chance... much like the lottery itself.
But as the jackpot grows it does seem to grow bigger faster. And that's something Harris said is not random, and very real.
"The estimated jackpot amount is set entirely by ticket sales," Harris said. "So, you know, as the jackpot grows you have more awareness about the game, and you have more folks that are gonna take the chance to win.
"Some people say I'm not gonna play when the jackpots starts our at $20 million, because $20 million is just not enough for me. Laughable, right? ...But for some folks, when they get to those hundreds of millions, that's when they really start taking notice, and that's when they wanna play. And the more people who play, the more sales, the higher the jackpot goes, the more quickly it grows," he said.
So, when you see these Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots get up close to $1 billion, Harris said the people who don't play the lottery very often really come out of the woodwork. "And the more folks like that you have putting their money in, the faster that jackpot's gonna grow."
If a lucky player wins the jackpot on Friday, it will be the first Mega Millions jackpot won this year, according to the Michigan Lottery. In 2022, the Mega Millions jackpot was won six times:
- Jan. 28, $426 million, Woodland Hills, California
- March 8, $128 million, Brooklyn, New York
- April 12, $110 million, Ramsey, Minnesota
- April 15, $20 million, Pegram, Tennessee
- July 29, $1.337 billion, Des Plaines, Illinois
-Oct. 14, $502 million, San Jose, California; Fort Myers, Florida
The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in Michigan in Jan. 2021 when an Oakland County lottery club won $1.05 billion. That jackpot was the largest ever won in Michigan and the fifth largest in U.S. lottery history.
Mega Millions and Powerball tickets may be purchased at retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com for $2 per play.
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