Thunderball, Super Lotto Plus & Texas 2 Step Full Wheel Calculators Now Available

For the second phase of our Full Wheel Payout Calculator releases, we have posted three new pages for your reference. These are the:

• California Super Lotto Plus Full Wheel Calculator
• Texas Two Step Full Wheel Calculator
• UK Thunderball Full Wheel Calculator

Each of these three games, along with our previously issued Mega Millions, Powerball, and Hot Lotto calculators, provide you the ability to compare winning payouts both with and without the corresponding bonus ball.

Besides accessing these tools from the above links, you can find these calculators from the Lottery Research Page.

The next phase of our release will focus on the 6 white ball lottery games: Texas Lotto, Canada Lotto 649, Irish Lotto, and the UK Lotto.

Enjoy!

Saturday Powerball Results 01/29/11 - Next Jackpot $35M

The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday Jan 29, 2011 were:

24 28 45 49 52 Powerball 02 and Powerplay 4x

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 342 combinations. Of these, we had 9 winners: (4) pb, (3) pb+1w, and (2) pb+2w, returning $38 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,490,805 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 374
• 3-w + PB @ # 16,784
• 4-w @ # 9,180
• 5-w @ # 658,361

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $35 million with a cash option of $17.6M and a yield of 4.45%

Friday Mega Millions Results 01/28/11 - Next Jackpot $91M on Tuesday

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday Jan 28, 2011 were:

14 33 48 49 50 Megaball 18 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 399 combinations. Of these, we had 9 winners: (4) mb, (4) mb+1w, and (1) 3w, returning $27 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,581,216 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 349 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 87,165
• 4-w @ # 72,877
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no MM jackpot winners so the jackpot grows to $91 million with a cash option of $57.0M and a yield of 4.21%

Wednesday Powerball Results 01/26/11 - Next Jackpot $25M

The winning Powerball numbers for Wednesday Jan 26, 2011 were:

04 05 36 47 58 Powerball 06 and Powerplay 3x.

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 259 combinations. Of these, we had 8 winners: (4) pb, (1) pb+1w, (2) 3w, and (1) pb+3w, returning $130 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 2,225,225 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 92 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + PB @ # 67 - LPP Winner
• 4-w @ # 1,923
• 5-w @ # 1,808,386

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $25 million with a cash option of $12.5M and a yield of 4.49%

Tuesday Mega Millions Results 01/25/11 - Next Jackpot $77M

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday Jan 25, 2011 were:

05 08 31 46 50 Megaball 04 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 307 combinations. Of these, we had 9 winners: (4) mb, (2) mb+1w, (1) mb+2w, and (2) 3w, returning $38 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,272,201 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 83 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 28,458
• 4-w @ # 768
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no MM jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $77 million with a cash option of $48.3M and a yield of 4.19%

Mega Millions & Powerball Full Wheel Calculators Revised

Since we released the first round of our Full Wheel Payout Calculators last week, we discovered that the payouts displayed for matching the 5 white balls but not the Mega or Power ball were incorrect when the Powerplay or Megaplier were purchased. We've now corrected those calculations.

• Mega Millions Full Wheel Calculator
• Powerball Full Wheel Calculator
• Hot Lotto Full Wheel Calculator 

As a reminder, you can visit these calculators from: the links directly above; the Lottery Research Page; and the "Lottery Combo Tables" link on our Lottery Power Picks home page.

Our next release will include the UK Thunderball, California Super Lotto Plus, and the Texas Two Step lottery games. We expect to make these Full Wheel Calculators available within the next week.

New York Sells First Winning Powerball Ticket of 2011 Worth $118M

The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday Jan 22, 2011 were:

30 31 34 45 51 Powerball 23 and Powerplay 2x

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 386 combinations. Of these, we had 10 winners: (7) pb, and (3) pb+1w, returning $33 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 2,169,280 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 2,047
• 3-w + PB @ # 11,500
• 4-w @ # - na -
• 5-w @ # - na -

There was one PB jackpot winner from New York, so the jackpot resets to $20 million with a cash option of $10.0M and a yield of 4.49%

Friday Mega Millions Results 01/21/11 - Next Jackpot $63M on Tuesday

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday Jan 21, 2011 were:

05 09 21 35 38 Megaball 20 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 419 combinations. Of these, we had 13 winners: (3) mb, (4) mb+1w, (3) mb+2w, and (3) 3w, returning $69 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,015,010 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 9 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 14,991
• 4-w @ # 1,544
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no MM jackpot winners so the jackpot grows to $63 million with a cash option of $39.2M and a yield of 4.27%

Powerball Now $118M - First Time Since November It's Over $100M - Check Wednesday 01/19/11 Results

The winning Powerball numbers for Wednesday Jan 19, 2011 were:

22 36 51 56 59 Powerball 32 and Powerplay 3x.

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 516 combinations. Of these, we had 15 winners: (11) pb, (2) pb+1w, (1) pb+2w, and (1) 3w, returning $55 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 2,985,654 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 504 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + PB @ # 6,013
• 4-w @ # 25,947
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $118 million with a cash option of $59.8M and a yield of 4.39%

Tuesday Mega Millions Results 01/18/11 - Next Jackpot $51M

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday Jan 18, 2011 were:

04 27 29 38 45 Megaball 05 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 503 combinations. Of these, we had 11 winners: (8) mb, and (3) mb+1w, returning $25 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,109,559 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 652
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 18,066
• 4-w @ # 12,061
• 5-w @ # 1,016,121

There were no MM jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $51 million with a cash option of $32.0M and a yield of 4.19%

Sum of First 2 Numbers Equal Third Number

In both the last Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, the sum of the first two white ball numbers equals the third number. As you can see, we have listed the drawing results for each below:

• 01/15/11 - PB   9 13 22 23 37
• 01/14/11 - MM 2 15 17 33 35

Since we enter the lottery results by hand after every drawing, we have noticed this pattern quite often. So, we decided to calculate the probability of these combinations being selected.

• In Powerball, there are 219,646 combinations where this occurs. This represents 4.387% of the population; and we would expect to see this once in every 22.79 drawings.
• In Mega Millions, there are 176,904 combinations where this occurs. This represents 4.631% of the population; and we would expect to see this once in every 21.59 drawings.

Checking the results of the past 26 drawings, we have found that this restriction has occurred  twice in both lotteries (on 01/14/11 and 11/16/10 for Mega Millions), and (on 01/15/11 and 12/22/10 for Powerball). While this happens with double the frequency as we mathematically expect, we are not convinced that this is a viable strategy as yet. So for now, we attribute the sum of the first 2 numbers equaling the third number as part of the normally expected random distributions.

Megaplier Coming to New Jersey

When the Mega Millions lottery expanded into all the Powerball states last year, the Megaplier was immediately offered in the Powerball States. But, of the original Mega Millions States, it was only available in Texas (who started this feature). But, slowly, during the year, more and more of the original 12 have (or will soon have) added the Megaplier option.

The latest State to announce this feature is New Jersey. It doesn't have a set date, but their website says its Coming Soon.

Other Mega Millions States that now offer the Megaplier are: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusettts, Michigan, (New Jersey), New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

It seems that the only State that will not be offering this feature yet is California.

Saturday Powerball Results 01/15/11 - Next Jackpot $96M

The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday Jan 15, 2011 were:

09 13 22 23 37 Powerball 31 and Powerplay 3x

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 376 combinations. Of these, we had 10 winners: (9) pb, and (1) pb+1w, returning $31 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 2,704,444 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 2,036
• 3-w + PB @ # 26,407
• 4-w @ # - na -
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $96 million with a cash option of $48.7M and a yield of 4.38%

Friday Mega Millions Results 01/14/11 - Next Jackpot $40M on Tuesday

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday Jan 14, 2011 were:

02 15 17 33 35 Megaball 08 - Megaplier 2

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 447 combinations. Of these, we had 13 winners: (8) mb, (2) mb+1w, and (3) 3w, returning $43 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,138,914 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 126 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 25,236
• 4-w @ # 19,437
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no MM jackpot winners so the jackpot grows to $40 million with a cash option of $25.2M and a yield of 4.15%

Wednesday Powerball Results 01/12/11 - Next Jackpot $82M

The winning Powerball numbers for Wednesday Jan 12, 2011 were:

19 21 23 40 48 Powerball 27 and Powerplay 4x.

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 432 combinations. Of these, we had 13 winners: (8) pb, (3) pb+1w, and (2) 3w, returning $50 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 2,338,475 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 339 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + PB @ # 25,101
• 4-w @ # 140,893
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $82 million with a cash option of $41.4M and a yield of 4.42%

Tuesday Mega Millions Results 01/11/11 - Next Jackpot $30M

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday Jan 11, 2011 were:

01 04 11 16 45 Megaball 37 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 395 combinations. Of these, we had 10 winners: (4) mb, (3) mb+1w, (2) mb+2w, and (1) 3w, returning $44 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,568,994 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 342 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 11,230
• 4-w @ # 24,701
• 5-w @ # 1,125,732

There were no MM jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $30 million with a cash option of $18.9M and a yield of 4.15%

Full Wheel Payout Calculators to be Released this Week

During the past few months, we have been working on a series of Full Wheel Calculators specifically customized for each of our covered lotteries. As we are now completing the first group, we anticipate releasing these new pages for Mega Millions, Powerball, and Hot Lotto.

We are very excited about these since each provides a high level of user interaction. Players who are interested in wheeling subsets of numbers will be able to understand how much money they will need to spend to buy the wheel. More importantly, they will obtain immediate results about the potential winnings they may receive if they choose and wheel the correct numbers.

Stay tuned to this blog for our full release announcement during the next couple of days!

Saturday Powerball Results 01/08/11 - Next Jackpot $67M

The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday Jan 08, 2011 were:

06 07 26 33 52 Powerball 24 and Powerplay 2x

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 360 combinations. Of these, we had 10 winners: (8) pb, (1) pb+1w, and (1) 3w, returning $35 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,646,740 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 125 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + PB @ # 90,548
• 4-w @ # 178,694
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $67 million with a cash option of $33.8M and a yield of 4.43%

Friday Mega Millions Results 01/07/11 - Jackpot $20M on Tuesday

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday Jan 07, 2011 were:

04 22 42 46 53 Megaball 20 - Megaplier 2

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 419 combinations. Of these, we had 9 winners: (8) mb, and (1) mb+1w, returning $19 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,849,176 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 523
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 13,008
• 4-w @ # 4,661
• 5-w @ # 91,186

There were no MM jackpot winners so the jackpot grows to $20 million with a cash option of $12.5M and a yield of 4.23%

Wednesday Powerball Results 01/05/11 - Next Jackpot $51M

The winning Powerball numbers for Wednesday Jan 05, 2011 were:

22 26 32 38 40 Powerball 07 and Powerplay 5x.

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 583 combinations. Of these, we had 16 winners: (11) pb, (4) pb+1w, and (1) 3w, returning $56 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,533,000 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 540 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + PB @ # 63,217
• 4-w @ # 169,943
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $51 million with a cash option of $25.9M and a yield of 4.38%

Idaho & Washington Players Can Now Retire

And the rest of us have to keep working and trying again.

In this second largest Mega Millions Jackpot drawing of $355 million, there were two winning tickets that matched all 5 numbers plus the Megaball. Each ticket will equally share 50% of the prize, approximately $177.5M. This was the first time a player from Idaho won a Mega Millions jackpot since joining the game in January 2010. For Washington, this is the 3rd winning ticket sold since joining in September 2002, and the first since 2006.

Additionally, there were 67 winners of the second place prize, matching all 5 of the white balls. Those players won the minimum of $250,000 or the maximum of $1,000,000, depending on whether they bought the Megaplier as well.

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday Jan 04, 2011 were:

04 08 15 25 47 Megaball 42 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 1,682 combinations. Of these, we had 46 winners: (23) mb, (11) mb+1w, (2) mb+2w, and (10) 3w, returning $169 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,992,060 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 290 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 9,655
• 4-w @ # 2,781
• 5-w @ # 14,646

There were two MM jackpot winners, one from Idaho and one from Washington. The jackpot now resets to $12 million with a cash option of $7.5M and a yield of 4.23%

Mega Millions Jackpot Raised to $330M, Now Tied for 3th Place All Time High

Yesterday we indicated that the Mega Millions jackpot of $290M was tied for the 6th place on the all time high list.

Then, last evening, Mega Millions increased the jackpot by $40M to $330 million for tonight's drawing.

This brings the offered total to a 3rd place tie on the list.  Our guess is that the jackpot will be raised again, bringing it to the 2nd highest ever. If no one wins tonight, it will clearly be the leader. And, based on the list below, we've never had a huge January jackpot winner.

• $390M - 370 GA/NJ Mar 06 2007 (MM)
• $336M - 325 CA/NY Aug 28 2009 (MM)
• $330M - 330 MD/NJ/TX/VA Aug 31 2007 (MM)
• Current Jackpot Now Increased - $330 Million (MM)
• $325M - 325 GA/IL/NJ Apr 16 2002 (Big Game)
• $315M - 315 CA Nov 15 2005 (MM)
• $294M - 290 MA July 02 2004 (MM)
• Previous Estimated Jackpot - $290 Million (MM)
• $275M - 270 GA Feb 22 2008 (MM)
• $270M - 267 OH Feb 28 2006 (MM)
• $266M - 266 CA May 4 2010 (MM)
• $265M - 265 OH Apr 18 2006 (MM)
• $258M - 250 NJ Sep 16 200 (MM)

Good luck to all!

Current Mega Millions Jackpot Tied for 6th Place All Time High

While many had predicted that the days of large jackpots were over, the current Mega Millions jackpot ranks 6th in the all time Mega Millions (Big Game) History.

The drawing on Tuesday January 4, 2011 will be the 18th since the last Mega Millions jackpot was won on November 9, 2010. Below are listed the actual size of the jackpots won, the advertised level, where the tickets were sold, and the dates.

• $390M - 370 GA/NJ Mar 06 2007 (MM)
• $336M - 325 CA/NY Aug 28 2009 (MM)
• $330M - 330 MD/NJ/TX/VA Aug 31 2007 (MM)
• $325M - 325 GA/IL/NJ Apr 16 2002 (Big Game)
• $315M - 315 CA Nov 15 2005 (MM)
• $294M - 290 MA July 02 2004 (MM)
• Current Jackpot - $290 Million (MM)
• $275M - 270 GA Feb 22 2008 (MM)
• $270M - 267 OH Feb 28 2006 (MM)
• $266M - 266 CA May 4 2010 (MM)
• $265M - 265 OH Apr 18 2006 (MM)
• $258M - 250 NJ Sep 16 200 (MM)

Related articles

• Mega Millions jackpot grows to $290 million (ajc.com)
• Mega Millions jackpot and lottery sales glitter (boston.com)

Saturday Powerball Results 01/01/11 - Next Jackpot $34M

The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday Jan 01, 2011 were:

18 22 37 47 54 Powerball 36 and Powerplay 2x

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 255 combinations. Of these, we had 9 winners: (3) pb, (2) pb+1w, (2) pb+2w, and (2) 3w,  returning $45 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 2,301,550 combinations. The first winning other combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 27 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + PB @ # 3,913
• 4-w @ # 116,917
• 5-w @ # - na -

There were no PB jackpot winners, so the jackpot grows to $34 million with a cash option of $17.3M and a yield of 4.36%

2011 Begins with $290M Reasons to Play Mega Millions

The winning Mega Millions numbers for Friday Dec 31, 2010 were:

10 12 13 35 56 Megaball 09 - Megaplier 4

In this drawing, Lottery Power Picks recommended 921 combinations. Of these, we had 24 winners: (13) mb,  (6) mb+1w, (1) mb+2w, and (4) 3w, returning $82 back to our players. Our 5 number pool had 1,949,425 combinations. The first other winning combos were located at:

• 3-w @ # 460 - LPP Winner
• 3-w + Megaball @ # 10,002
• 4-w @ # 5,864
• 5-w @ # 96,573

There were no MM jackpot winners so the jackpot grows to $290 million with a cash option of $182.6M and a yield of 4.15%