Credit: (3D Animation Production Company from Pixabay)

As of Wednesday night, the Powerball jackpot was at an estimated $95 million with a cash value of $48.1 million. And the Mega Millions jackpot is at an estimated $1.25 billion with a cash option of $625.3 million. The current Mega Millions jackpot will be the sixth largest in U.S. history if someone wins on Friday. The largest Powerball jackpot won was $2.04 billion in California in 2022.

As appealing as those prizes may seem, the odds of winning are extremely low. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot no matter the size are about 1 in 292.2 million. And the chances of winning the Mega Millions top prize are even lower, at about 1 in 302.6 million.

And with all eyes on the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, New Jersey Lottery officials are warning residents to beware of scams. The New Jersey Lottery does not know who is in possession of a winning ticket until they come forward to file a claim. Thus, they will never contact a winner prior to that point.

The New Jersey Lottery welcomes group play and office pools to increase participants’ odds of winning.

John Reitmeyer with more about the Lottery

In the chance you do end up winning — even a small prize — here are the steps you have to take to claim it.

And if you’re curious what the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history were, here they are.

— Graphics by Genesis Obando