BALTIMORE, MD—The odds of winning the lottery are always slim, but what are the chances of both the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots reaching the exact same amount at the same time? It’s happening today, May 28, 2025, with both games offering an estimated annuity value of $189 million.
This rare occurrence is due to no jackpot winner being drawn in the May 27 Mega Millions drawing, pushing its jackpot to $189 million for the upcoming May 30 drawing. Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot for tonight’s drawing has also reached $189 million, and will climb to an estimated $207 million if there’s no winner tonight.
While it’s impossible to calculate the exact odds of this happening, it’s safe to say it’s incredibly rare. The jackpots in both games increase after each drawing without a winner, influenced by factors like ticket sales.
Games are available in 45 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico also sells Powerball tickets. Millions nationwide purchase tickets, and annuity values partly depend on interest rates and changing U.S. Treasury Bond yields. If a jackpot winner chooses the annuity option, the lottery uses the cash value to purchase bonds that fund the annual payments to the winner.
Although this jackpot convergence is a fun coincidence, it doesn’t impact the odds of winning either game. The odds of winning Powerball remain 1 in 292,201,338, and the odds of winning Mega Millions are 1 in 290,472,336. The chance of winning both jackpots with a single ticket is 1 in 290,472,336 X 292,201,338.
The Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots were won three times each in 2025 alone.
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
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