The Powerball jackpot has swelled to an estimated $725 million, making it the eighth-largest prize in the game’s history. The cash value of the jackpot stands at $345.7 million. The next drawing will be held on Saturday night, and if won, will be the game’s third-largest prize this year.
The jackpot rolled over on Wednesday night after no tickets matched all six drawn numbers — white balls 16, 27, 59, 62, 63, and the red Powerball 23. The Power Play multiplier for the drawing was 3X. More than a million winning tickets were produced nationwide, including a ticket in Georgia that matched all five white balls to secure a $1 million prize. Two tickets from Georgia and Texas won $2 million each, including the prize multiplier feature, Power Play, for an additional $1 per play. Additionally, 25 tickets won $50,000 prizes, and 11 tickets clinched $150,000 prizes.
The forthcoming Saturday night drawing will mark the 28th in the current jackpot series. The Powerball jackpot was last claimed on July 19 when a ticket in California matched all numbers to win a staggering $1.08 billion, becoming the game’s third-ever billion-dollar prize. This year’s top prizes included a $754.6 million jackpot won in Washington on February 6 and a $1.08 billion jackpot won in California on July 19.
Should a player win the upcoming jackpot, they can choose between an annuitized prize estimated at $725 million or a one-time lump sum payment of $345.7 million, both before taxes. If the annuity option is selected, the winner will receive an initial payment followed by 29 annual payments, each increasing by 5% per year.
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play and can be purchased in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Over half of the proceeds from each ticket sale remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Powerball drawings occur every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EST and are broadcast live from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also live-streamed on Powerball.com.
According to official statistics, the odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of taking home the jackpot stand at 1 in 292.2 million.
Here is a quick rundown of the top 10 largest Powerball jackpots to date:
- $2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
- $1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
- $1.08 Billion – July 19, 2023 – CA
- $768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – WI
- $758.7 Million – Aug. 23, 2017 – MA
- $754.6 Million – Feb. 6, 2023 – WA
- $731.1 Million – Jan. 20, 2021 – MD
- $725 Million (est.) – Sept. 23, 2023
- $699.8 Million – Oct. 4, 2021 – CA
- $687.8 Million – Oct. 27, 2018 – IA, NY
With millions of tickets sold and dreams of massive fortune in the air, Saturday’s drawing is poised to be a momentous event.