More than $1.5 billion is out as lottery jackpots rise

FILE – Steve Morton shows his scan card for his personal pick numbers for a Powerball drawing ticket Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at a convenience store in Renfrew, Pa. The Powerball jackpot rose to an estimated $875 million after no winning tickets were sold for the Wednesday, July 12, 2023, drawing. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

More than $1.5 billion is up for grabs as the jackpots for three California Lottery drawing games continue to increase heading into the weekend.

The Mega Millions jackpot is estimated at $560 million, the Powerball jackpot is $875 million and the Super Lotto jackpot is $76 million.

The current Mega Millions jackpot is the seventh largest in the game’s history.

The California Lottery, created to provide supplemental funding to California public schools, has raised nearly $172.5 million from ticket sales, officials said.

“Lottery players are used to the thrill of a jackpot creeping up to a billion dollars, and right now this is triple the fun,” Carolyn Becker, a spokeswoman for the California Lottery, said in a statement. “Each game sees a spike in sales as competing jackpots climb; it’s common for players to buy tickets for all of them when one or more jackpots get that high, and having all three up there is a win-win-win.”

Californians will have a chance to hit the jackpot during Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing at 19:59. Mega Millions tickets cost $2.

The Powerball drawing takes place on Saturday at 7:59pm and tickets are also $2.

Those hoping to win the $76 million Super Lotto jackpot will have the opportunity to do so during the next draw on Saturday. Tickets for the drawing are $1.

Tickets for all drawing games can be purchased at lottery retailers across the state. The winning numbers for all drawing games will also be posted on the California Lottery website.

Ahead of the draws, lottery players can test their lucky numbers with a new feature on the lottery’s website.

State Lottery officials recently added the site’s “Lucky Numbers” feature, allowing players to enter lucky numbers and see how often they’ve hit the jackpot over the past five years.

By entering their numbers on the website, state lottery players can see how often their numbers have hit the Powerball, Mega Millions and Super Lotto Plus jackpots.