Powerball and Mega Millions Jackpots Rise Ahead of Monday's Columbus Day Drawing

A $538 million Powerball jackpot and a Mega Millions prize that had already reached an estimated $364 million before rolling over are the main lottery events around Monday, Oct. 12. Because that date is a federal holiday, the evening draw brings a practical question: which state sales cutoffs still apply, and which offices will close. Here is what official lottery pages and state reports confirm.

Jackpot totals, cutoffs, and holiday rules

Powerball's Monday, Oct. 12 jackpot is estimated at $538 million with a $220.6 million cash option, according to USA Mega's jackpot analysis. The Saturday, Oct. 10 Powerball drawing produced no jackpot winner; the numbers were 1, 4, 19, 33 and 51, with Powerball 15 and a 2x Power Play, as reported by IndyStar. Saturday's Powerball jackpot had been an estimated $516 million, and the Monday figure climbed after no ticket matched all six numbers. Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at approximately 10:59 p.m. ET.

Mega Millions last drew on Friday, Oct. 9 with an estimated $364 million ($147.3 million cash option) and no jackpot winner. The winning numbers were 2, 7, 16, 63 and 70, with Mega Ball 8. The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 11 p.m. ET, keeping both games in nine-figure territory this week. The reports from Friday did not list the next estimated Mega Millions total.

State cutoff times vary. Mega Millions sales close at 10:45 p.m. on draw nights in Michigan, according to the Detroit Free Press. In New York, in-store and online ticket sales stop at 10 p.m., while New Jersey and Connecticut allow purchases until 10:45 p.m., per the Democrat and Chronicle. Powerball's sales cutoffs are not listed on the draw-result pages reviewed; state lottery websites publish the exact time for each jurisdiction. Because Oct. 12 is a federal holiday, federal offices will remain closed and many bank branches will suspend in-person service, according to Cronista.

What the prize tables show

Powerball's Saturday draw result listed no jackpot winners and one $1 million Match 5 winner in California, along with smaller prize tiers totaling hundreds of thousands of winning tickets across lower prize levels. Mega Millions now includes a built-in multiplier that randomly increases non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x, replacing the retired Megaplier; the cost is included in the $5 ticket price. The multiplier value is randomly selected and printed on each play.

Mega Millions prize tiers start at $10 for matching just the Mega Ball and rise to $2 million, $3 million, $4 million, $5 million or $10 million for matching five white balls, depending on the multiplier. The largest Mega Millions jackpots include $1.602 billion won in Florida in 2023 and $1.537 billion won in South Carolina in 2018. Neither the Powerball draw-result page nor the Mega Millions news reports repeated overall jackpot odds, which are published on the official game websites.

The earlier October sunset

Because the Monday drawing falls after sunset, checking local daylight can help plan the evening. today's sunrise and sunset offers date-specific sunrise, sunset, and twilight times for locations worldwide.

Catsup or ketchup, an autumn aside

With cooler weather arriving, a burger or tailgate spread might revive the old spelling dispute. catsup versus ketchup explained traces the condiment from fermented fish sauce in 17th-century China to American tables.

An October villain, explained

For those spending the holiday evening with horror or Stranger Things, the season fits the Upside Down's antagonist. Henry Creel complete guide lays out the timeline of Henry Creel, from Hawkins Lab subject One to the monster called Vecna.

Before you buy your ticket

Check the cutoff for your state before the Monday evening draw, and remember that Oct. 12 is a federal holiday. Winning numbers will be available on the official Powerball and Mega Millions sites after the drawing.