Jackpots rise faster, $115 million tonight

Evidence is coming in that the major multistate lotteries will indeed grow faster now that each is in about three dozen states.

Powerball adjusted tonight's jackpot upward, from $107 million to $115 million, because more money than expected start rolling in after 10 highly populated states, including New Jersey and New York, added the game on Sunday.

Even the much lower Mega Millions jackpot got off to a rapid start. Last night, it was as low as it can go: $12 million. When no one won, it shot up to $20 million, a jump that usually took a couple of drawings to make. (For winning numbers, see below.)

Adding 23 states made a big difference, despite going head to head with Powerball's much larger loot in the 33 states where both games are played.

Powerball's grand prize might soar - by $25 million or more - if no one hits it tonight. In September and December, similar-sized top prizes grew by $16 million and $18 million.

Both games are now played in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, as well as in Maryland, New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Powerball is now in 41 states, Mega Millions 35.

Only seven states don't offer either lottery: Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii.

The odds of winning either one are ridiculously long - 1 in 176 million for Mega Millions, 1 in 195 million for Powerball.

The Megaplier. Mega Millions has a new multiplier option, called the Megaplier, but it's only offered in Texas and the 23 states that just joined Sunday. That means players in newcomers Pennsylvania and Delaware - but not in longtimers New Jersey or Maryland - can take a shot at multiplying non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3 or 4 times.

Since the regular second prize was $250,000, when the Megaplier is 4, windfalls of $1 million are possible.

Mega Millions numbers. Pennsylvania got lucky in its first Mega Millions drawing last night. No one had all the numbers - 6, 7, 26, 27 and 49, with a Mega Ball of 9. But three tickets, including one sold in Pennsylvania, won $250,000 each for having the first five numbers. Connecticut and New York had the other two.