Again and yet again, a Pa. ticket wins $1 million

For the second night in a row - and the fifth time in five weeks - a Pennsylvania ticket won $1 million in a major lottery.

Last night, nobody hit the Powerball jackpot, so Saturday night's top prize will be worth $25 million.

But one Pennsylvania ticket matched the first five numbers - 5, 8, 29, 37 and 38 - while having the $1 Power Play multiplier option.

For missing only the Powerball, which was 34, that combination automatically wins $1 million.

A New Jersey slip won $200,000 for having the first five numbers without the Power Play. Other such winners were sold in New York, Virginia and South Carolina.

Tuesday night, the Mega Millions drawing also made a Pennsylvania ticket a $1 million winner. It matched the first five numbers - 2, 17, 20, 26 and 48 - while having the Megaplier, which was 4. That quadrupled the normal $250,000, which was won by tickets sold in New York, Virginia and Oklahoma.

All four tickets missed only the Mega Ball, which was 12.

Because no one hit all the numbers, Friday night's jackpot will be worth $44 million.

The Megaplier is available in more than 20 states that joined Mega Millions on Jan. 31, as well as in Texas, the longtime Mega Millions state that started it. New Jersey and a half-dozen other longtime member states don't offer it - yet - largely because of costs of switching over.

Lottery officials are likely to release later today the names and locations of the outlets where the two new $1 million tickets were sold.

Last week - the first in which 33 states started selling both Powerball and Mega Millions - Pennsylvania and New Jersey won another batch of second-tier prizes.

The biggest was $1 million won by a Powerball ticket sold at Delcroft Beverage, on Delmar Drive in Folcroft, Delaware County.

Two more $1 million winners were minted in Pennsylvania by the Jan. 27 Powerball drawing.

Last year produced a half-dozen, according to state lottery spokeswoman Kirstin Alvanitakis.

For more lottery information, go to www.philly.com/philly/news/lottery, www.powerball.com or www.megamillions.com.