Safvan Allahverdi
03 January 2018•Update: 04 January 2018
By Safvan Allahverdi
WASHINGTON
The combined U.S. lottery jackpot soared to over $800 million Wednesday with no one claiming their prize.
The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery rose to $418 million -- the fourth largest in the game’s history – after no tickets matched all six numbers, while the drawing for the Powerball lottery takes place Wednesday night for an estimated $440 million prize.
It has been more than two months since a winner has emerged for either lottery.
The largest Powerball payout ever won was in 2017, when a player in Massachusetts took home a $480 million jackpot while $393 million was shared by winners in Illinois in the Mega Millions lottery.
The largest jackpot ever won in 2016 was when three people split $1.6 billion.
Around 40 percent of a winner’s payout goes to the federal government with an additional percentage to state taxes, which vary by jurisdiction.
New York state takes the biggest percentage, taxing winnings at 8.82 percent, according to usamega.com, a website that tracks lottery news.
California, Delaware, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do not assess taxes on lottery prizes, according to the website.
Powerball is played in 44 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands while Mega Millions is offered in 44 states, Washington DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
