AUSTIN (KXAN) — Being struck by lightning, being killed by a shark and dying from sunstroke. What do they have in common?
They’re much more likely to happen than you winning the lottery.
Both the Powerball and Mega Millions have been gigantic jackpots in recent years. The trick to winning one of those gigantic jackpots? You need a gigantic amount of luck.
The odds of winning the Powerball are roughly 1 in 292,201,338, or 0.0000003%. The odds of winning the Mega Millions are even lower, at 1 in 302,575,350
Here are some things that are more likely to happen:
But 1 in 302 million — or 1 in 292 million — is still a chance, right?! In fact, you’re much more likely to win big than being hit by a meteorite (thankfully!).
How’s this for a mind-blowing fact: You are 30.4 billion times as likely to win the Mega Millions than you are to get a perfect NCAA bracket, if you just guess or flip a coin to determine your teams. That’s right, billion with a B.
Even if you know a little about basketball and are more strategic in choosing your bracket, you’re still 397 times as likely to win the Mega Millions jackpot.
What are the largest jackpots in history?
The largest winning jackpot in U.S. lottery history was more than $2 billion. A lucky California resident won the top prize in November 2022.
Two other Powerball jackpots and four Mega Millions jackpots have crossed the $1 billion mark.
In 2019, a Leander resident took home more than $157 million in a Mega Millions game, making it the largest lottery win ever in Texas.
