Welcome to our Friday compilation of the lottery industry’s most significant, interesting, or absurd happenings

The Powerball jackpot rose to $565 million—the year’s biggest lottery prize so far—after none of the purchased tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday night, but the eventual winner is likely to take home a much smaller amount after paying their taxes. The six numbers drawn on Wednesday night were 4, 11, 40, 44, 50, and red Powerball 4.

A Mega Millions player has claimed the largest lottery prize in Virginia history after hitting a $348 million jackpot — and now they plan to buy a lawn mower.

The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots both keep on rising! The lotteries are now a combined $1.267 billion to begin the week after no one won either jackpot this weekend.

For Mega Millions, which draws on Friday evening, the annuitized jackpot was estimated at $395 million. The cash option is $188.2 million. An image of a Mega Millions form from the California Lottery.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Pick 3 on Aug. 15, 2025 Looking to win big? The Idaho Lottery offers several games if you think it’s your lucky day.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Powerball jackpot is continuing its steady climb upward, sitting at $565 million for the drawing on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. Despite the impressive number, it still doesn’t crack the top 10 for largest Powerball jackpots in history. The largest was a $2.04 billion prize won in California in November 2022.