If you’re feeling some St Patrick’s Day magic, you might want to buy a lottery ticket. Mega Millions and Powerball have racked up some massive jackpots after weeks of rollovers.

The Mega Millions jackpot is already estimated at a whopping $875m for Tuesday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Friday night. Monday night’s Powerball jackpot is $645m after no tickets matched the winning numbers drawn Saturday night.

Players of either lottery are seeking to overcome staggeringly slim odds of winning. Mega Millions players have a 1 in 302.6m chance of taking home the top prize. And it’s not much easier to win a Powerball jackpot with the odds near 1 in 292.2m.

Yet excitement is high across the US with both lotteries having larger than usual jackpots simultaneously.

This is just the sixth time in the nearly 22-year history of the Mega Millions game that the jackpot has been this large, and five of those six jackpots exceeded $1bn, according to a Mega Millions statement. The winning tickets were sold in South Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Maine and Florida.

There was one big winner in Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. A ticket in New York matched all five white balls drawn and will win $1m.

Also Friday, California officials satisfied state law by identifying the winner of a $1.765bn jackpot of an 11 October drawing. Theodorus Struyck was named as the representative of a “group of winners” who bought the winning ticket in Frazier Park, California, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Struyck’s award was the second-highest in Powerball history, after the $2.04bn jackpot won by another Californian – Edwin Castro – in 8 November. Castro’s jackpot was reported to be the world’s largest ever lottery prize.

In Saturday night’s Powerball drawing, a player in Michigan and another in New Jersey each reportedly won $1m prizes having matched five numbers.

The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled over 28 times since 8 December, when two winning tickets were drawn in California, lottery officials said. Mega Millions drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday night.

Meanwhile, Saturday was the 33rd rollover for Powerball since 1 January, when a ticket in Michigan won a prize worth $842.4m. Powerball is drawn three times weekly, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Anyone lucky enough to win either of the large jackpots should build a team to help with financial decisions looming at that point, including an attorney, tax expert and financial adviser experience in handling windfalls, said Robert Pagliarini, the president and chief financial adviser for Pacifica Wealth Advisors Inc in Irvine, California.

“Take a deep breath,” Pagliarini told the Associated Press. “You will be faced with numerous tax, legal and financial decisions so I want you to stay grounded, because when you are calm you can make much better decisions.

“Lastly, even though you have professionals guiding you, do not forget that this is your money and you are in charge – they work for you. Ask questions and make them explain things so you understand them. The goal is to turn your sudden wealth into lasting wealth.”

Mega Millions tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 states, Washington DC, and the US Virgin Islands. Powerball tickets are also $2 and are sold in 45 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.