CONCORD, N.H. – As New Hampshire residents celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this Saturday, they will have the opportunity to see if they have the “luck of the Irish” with combined Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots increasing to $800 million for drawings Friday and Saturday. The Mega Millions jackpot has increased to an estimated $345 million for Friday night’s drawing and the Powerball jackpot is estimated to be $455 million for Saturday night’s drawing.
“Winning $800 million in combined Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots seems like the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery. “Even with all the snow this week, the Powerball and Mega Millions excitement is really starting to heat up both for our retailers and our loyal players. If you want a chance to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day as New Hampshire’s newest multimillionaire, get your tickets now!”
With a $345 million Mega Millions jackpot anticipated for tomorrow night’s (March 16) drawing, the one-time cash payout is expected to reach $205.3 million. With the Powerball jackpot estimated to be $455 million for Saturday’s (March 17) drawing, the one-time cash payout is expected to be $269.4 million. (Estimated jackpot amounts are before taxes).
A lucky New Hampshire player purchased a $50,000 winning Powerball ticket at J-Don’s Variety in Nashua for last night’s drawing.
The Powerball drawing results from Wednesday, March 14, were: 6-12-24-41-68 PB-9 with a Power Play of 3.
The Mega Millions drawing results from Tuesday, March 13, were: 6-30-58-60-61 MB-17 with a Megaplier of 5.
The current Powerball jackpot has been growing since January 6, when a lucky New Hampshire player won a $559.7 million jackpot—the sixth-largest Powerball jackpot on record. The winner, who is choosing to remain anonymous, formally claimed her prize last week and announced a combined $250,000 donation to Girls Inc. of New Hampshire and three chapters of End 68 Hours of Hunger.
The largest Powerball jackpot on record was a $1.586 billion jackpot in January 2016.
The current Mega Millions jackpot has been increasing since the drawing on January 5, when a Florida player claimed a $451 million prize. The largest Mega Millions jackpot in history was $656 million—three winners from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland shared that record prize in March 2012.
Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 PM and tickets are on sale until 9:50 PM Friday.
Powerball tickets are on sale until 9:50 p.m. Saturday. Powerball drawings are held Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 PM ET.
About New Hampshire Lottery
Since 1964, the New Hampshire Lottery has had a significant financial impact on the state. For the past 53 years, the New Hampshire Lottery has recorded more than $6.3 billion in lottery sales and other earnings, with over $4.2 billion paid in prizes and other cost of sales. Net proceeds to education total nearly $1.9 billion to date.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission, located at 14 Integra Drive in Concord, currently manages all lottery operations in the state, including instant games, New Hampshire Powerball®, New Hampshire Mega Millions®, Tri-State Megabucks℠ Plus, Tri-State Pick3®/Pick4® Daily Numbers games, Gimme 5, Fast Play games, Lucky For Life® and KENO 603.