Get rich quick: Mega Millions, Powerball hit massive jackpots

 Introducing a get-rich-quick plan: Playing the lottery! 

OK, so it might not be the best plan, but if you like taking chances, New Jersey residents have two chances to win massive jackpots.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions have gone some time without winners, so both jackpots are climbing.

If you win Mega Millions, which is drawn Tuesday and Friday, you’ll walk away with $500 million ($251 million cash payout) for tonight’s drawing. 

Powerball, which is drawn Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, is sitting at $725 million ($366.2 million cash payout) for Wednesday’s game.Nobody won Monday’s Powerball jackpot, but if you played, you still could have won some money.

Powerball winning numbers: 7/10/23

The winning numbers for Monday night's drawing were 2, 24, 34, 53, 58, and the Powerball was 13. The Power Play was 2X.

Did anyone win the Powerball last night?

To be determined.

Before the next Powerball drawing, it's important to be aware of the following information.

What are the odds of winning the Powerball?

It's understandable that some lottery players are enticed by the whopping $572 million jackpot, but it's essential to keep in mind that the chances of winning Powerball's top prize are exceedingly slim.

• The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million.
• The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize (across all tiers) are about 1 in 24.9.

How to play Powerball

To participate in the Powerball game, players can purchase a ticket for $2 per play. The game requires players to choose five numbers from one to 69 for the white balls, and one number from one to 26 for the red Powerball. Alternatively, players can opt to receive random numbers.In order to win the jackpot, it is necessary to match the numbers for all of the five white balls and the red Powerball.

In addition to the grand prize, Powerball offers eight other ways to win based on the number of matched balls in the non-jackpot tiers.

The non-jackpot prizes offered range from $4 to $1 million. By paying an additional $1, you can choose to participate in "Powerplay" that increases non-jackpot winnings by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times.

According to Powerball, the 10X Powerplay option is exclusively applicable to jackpots worth $150 million or less. Additionally, the game's "Match 5" prize for the second-tier is limited to a maximum of $2 million if the Powerplay feature is utilized.

An additional add-on feature called "Double Play," which gives players another chance to match their numbers after each Powerball drawing, is available in some jurisdictions for $1 per play.