On heels of Mega Millions, Powerball now has near-record jackpot

The Powerball jackpot is likely to reach $750m for Saturday’s drawing, officials said. Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

There was just one jackpot-winning ticket sold for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, the second-largest lottery jackpot in history, but there is still another opportunity for lottery players to win big this week, with the Powerball jackpot reaching $750 million for Saturday’s drawing, officials said.

The grand prize for this weekend’s drawing is the third-largest Powerball jackpot of all time and the fourth-largest lottery jackpot in United States lottery history, said Christian Teja, spokesman for the Massachusetts State Lottery.

The largest Powerball jackpot was a $1.586 billion prize split among three winners in California, Florida, and Tennessee after the drawing on Jan. 13, 2016. Ticket sales in Massachusetts for that drawing totaled more than $32 million, officials said.

Sales in Massachusetts for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, when the jackpot was about $620 million, totaled about $7.1 million, significantly less than the total sales for Tuesday’s near-record Mega Millions drawing, which totaled nearly $21 million in Massachusetts, Teja said.

“What we’re seeing in Massachusetts, which is consistent with what other lotteries are seeing, is that this Powerball jackpot, despite being at record levels itself, is not yet getting the same degree of attention that it would had it not been in the shadows of the Mega Millions jackpot that surpassed a billion dollars,” Teja said.

Sales for Saturday’s Powerball drawing were at about $336,000 by Thursday around noon, but that number is expected to grow significantly, with more than two days to go before the drawing, Teja said.

The Mega Millions drawing Tuesday resulted in the largest jackpot ever won on a single ticket, which was purchased in South Carolina. More than 10 million tickets were sold for that drawing in Massachusetts alone. Of those tickets, two resulted in prizes worth $1 million. One went to Jennifer Santo, a nurse from Dartmouth, and the other has yet to be claimed. The ticket holder has up to one year after the drawing date to claim their prize, Teja said.

The jackpot for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is at its starting value of $40 million. The jackpot for the in-state Megabucks Doubler is at $3.7 million for Wednesday’s drawing, officials said.

Mega Millions and Powerball tickets are $2 each, and Megabucks Doubler tickets are $1 each. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing will be at 11 p.m. Saturday’s Powerball drawing will be at 10:59 p.m. Saturday’s Megabucks Doubler drawing will be at 11:20 p.m., officials said.

The results of the drawings will be available on masslottery.com, as well as on the Lottery’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages, officials said.