By Todd Northrop
For only the 13th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot run-up has crossed into $300 million+ territory.
The new high-water mark of $310 million for the current Powerball jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Wednesday night's $250 million grand prize.
The lump-sum cash payout value of Saturday's Powerball jackpot is $193.4 million.
The mammoth prize is the result of 13 draws without a winner. The run-up started as a $20 million prize on Dec. 28, 2011.
The winning numbers for Wednesday, February 8, 2012 were 17, 28, 38, 39, and 51, with Powerball number 33.
Even though nobody won the jackpot Wednesday, 5 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Georgia, 1 from Missouri, 1 from Nebraska, 1 from New Jersey, and 1 from North Carolina.
None of the second prize winners had purchased the Power Play option for an extra $1, which would have increased their second prize win to $2 million.
64 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $10,000. Of those tickets, 12 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $40,000.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, any non-jackpot prize is increased according to a fixed prize schedule, which can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.
Powerball is now played in 42 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Saturday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 13th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. That position may rise before the drawing Saturday night, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
If nobody wins Saturday, it's anyone's guess how high it will go.
- Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
- Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
- The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
- The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
- Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
- Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 26, 2002 - West Virgina
- Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
- Powerball: $310 million, Feb. 11, 2012 (preliminary estimate, not won yet)
- Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $276.3 million, Mar. 15, 2008 - West Virgina
- Mega Millions: $275 million, Feb. 22, 2008 - Georgia
- Mega Millions: $270 million, Feb. 28, 2006 - Ohio
- Mega Millions: $266 million, May 4, 2010 - California
- Mega Millions: $265 million, Apr. 18, 2006 - Ohio
- Powerball: $261.6 million, Jun. 2, 2010 - Ohio
- Powerball: $261.3 million, Jul. 9, 2003 - Missouri, Pennsylvania
- Powerball: $259.9 million, Aug. 19, 2009 - South Carolina
- Powerball: $258.5 million, Apr. 21, 2010 - Missouri
For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Mega Millions: 11
- Powerball: 12
- The Big Game: 2
The Big Game is the original name of Mega Millions, from the game's first drawing on Sep. 6, 1996 through May 14, 2002. The name was changed to Mega Millions starting with the May 17, 2002 drawing.
I wonder when and whar the next lucky strike will be .......
good luck to all of us here @ LP
For only the 13th time in history. Love that number 13! Has alway's been lucky for me, not to mention I was born on the 13th.
Any predictions for Saturday's jackpot? I would conservatively say $400 Million. That would be a $251 Million lump sum. In my "LIVE, FREEZE THEN DIE"
state that translates to about $188 Million after federal taxes only.
Wouldn't that be a nice Valentine's gift?
I had forgotten about some of those larger JP's. Had a $4 winner, so I'm closing in on it . . .
Really starting to believe that it's rigged...I mean come on people:
Mega Millions Winning Numbers 2/7/2012 17-23-30-37-45 (04)
Powerball Winning Numbers 2/8/2012 17-28-38-39-51 (33)
The number schemes are nearly identical! What are the odds that two separate lotteries with different numbers picks & crazy odds draw almost the same identical number pattern on consecutive days?! A: ASTRONOMICAL!!!!! But I'm sure they will LET someone win when it reaches at least a $400m advertised annuity! That's why I haven't spent a dime in this run yet!!!
The numbers are nothing alike, plus you are looking at them in sorted order. You are going to make the claim the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings are both somehow rigged to produce similar number sets? How does that make any sense at all? Why in the world would the lotteries even want to do such a thing?
I'm definitely buying a ticket today!
Well, at least I picked the powerball (33)
I had one other number also (17). Bummer that I didn't have more.
I had a $4 winner too ... maybe we'll share that $310M.
The thing is, my $4 winner was a 1+1, not just the PB. I wonder why Powerball counts 1+1 as a separate prize level in the new prize structure when the prize is identical to 0+1. There should be something extra for matching one of the main draw numbers in addition to the Powerball.
[Edit]: MissDiana, I had the same - 17 and 33..
Had nothing BUT my dry streak ends this saturday with a jackpot win.
I just realized... MM is listed 8 times in the Top 10; PB only 2! I always thought it was the other way around! I guess PB does a better PR/advertising job.
As someone who plays one QP at a time and never used a system, I guess I need a little lesson. How are those two sets of numbers "nearly identical"? If you can break it down for this newbie in a few sentances, I'd appreciate it. I don't see it.
$300M makes me dizzy. Good luck this week. I say two winners next Wednesday. Please sign your tickets.
Because they can if they wanted to. And it's people like you that believe that it can't occur is the very reason they make so much money!!! It's like they are laughing at the masses! Keep believing if you want to!!!
Noticing a high number of member "Conspiracy Theory" agenda's. Whatever happen to common sense? Because numbers do not come out to your perceived patterns or expectations don't go crazy with the "rigged" cope outs.
I can't begain to fathom what to do with all that loot
Sorry clicked on wrong post; meant for Reign22.
I also hit the 33 PB! Can I now make the claim I won the Powerball???
The numbers are alway's laughing at us.
While we sleep........eat..........work. They enjoy taunting us with their clever "stick it to you" patterns of deceit. 
I can fathom......come on hearsetrax........use your imagination!
You won the POWERBALL but you didn't win the JACKPOT. Does that work for you? Lol!
I like the way I say it better!
How does $125,710,000 + after Federal Taxes sound?
Sounds like fun to me!
As usual dpoly you did your math. Almost $20 Million for state taxes though....OUCH!!! Still sounds good however. Enjoy.
One of these states will win the powerball..idaho, washington state, iowa, west virginia, south dakota, north dakota, maine, new hampshire, maine, oregon, nebraska, wyoming, vermont. 300 million is a lot of money to fall into the hands of the wrong demographic. If it doesn't hit in one of those states..it will hit in a store that caters to certain demographics.
$310 million, now we are cooking with gas.
I wonder if this thing might go to $500 million, that would be something.
we all believe reign 22 that you are insane. those numbers are nothing alike except 1. it is not fixed. what would be their reasoning to fix it and how could they. please tell us what state hospital you are residing in so we can stop your trips to the lottery store. you are bonkers. totally completely gone in the head.
I had 17, but as the Powerball number.
Not sure what you mean by the "wrong demographic". The lottery is random, so everyone has an equal chance of winning, no matter where they live.
A state or a store does not win the lottery, people do. I will never understand the obsession with a particular "state" winning the jackpot, other than it being fun to see someone close to home win it. Saying that a particular "state" won to support the notion that the lottery somehow controls who wins is the same as saying that the lottery is rigged. And that is not supported by a shred of evidence.
Since lots of jackpots are won in liquor stores, does that mean the "drunk demographic" is targeted by the lottery to win a lot? Or does it mean that a lot of lottery tickets happen to be sold in liquor stores? What about the jackpot that was sold in the porn shop? Did the lottery decide that they needed a winner from the "porn demographic"?
With paranoia you never have to dine alone!
Yes lotteries have been won everywhere, including my hometown. 30 mill, 50 mill, 80 mill, etc, but 300 million takes it to another level. When it hits 300 million, people say wow! When it gets this high, those states i listed usually wins. I forgot to include minnesota.
If i am wrong, i will be the first to admit it, but if i am right, my conspiracy theory looms on.
200 to 300 million states that i know of..min, sd, idaho,washingon state, west virginia
I guess you think the lottery is rigged then. You are certainly entitled to that opinion. I just don't think there's any evidence for it.
Sure, the jackpot could be won in any of those states. You included several states on your list, and accumulatively I'm sure the players in those states will purchase quite a few tickets so they have a good shot at winning. But any player in any state has an equally good chance of winning, so I'm not sure what it proves.
The funny thing is that there are just as many conspiracy-minded people who say that when someone in a big state like New York wins, that's the lottery controlling where it is won. But you say that when a jackpot is not won in a big state, then that's the lottery controlling it. So no matter what happens, I guess the lottery is controlling it, and a cinspiracy exists. Whatever.
would be nice if it reach to close to a billion dollars jackpot.. would be record breaking and exciting ..what are the chances and posibilitys on that ??
The QUACKS are losing credibility
I had 17,too.But the other five numbers eluded me.
There should be a "Like" button for comments!!!!
LOVE it, mcginnin56!!!!
Thank you so much dk1421; hey I like that number!
I'll play that as one of my pick 4's this evening. (A straight pick only, need that $5K) 
Not in Pennsylvania!
No State or Local Taxes on Lottery winnings!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
In Pennsylvania, only name & town are required, no pics and press conference are required ....................
I had 39 and 33 and am majorly ticked that the prize is the same as matching just the PB that I got for the last draw. I hate this!
Hey dpoly1, are you refering to the new jackpot of $310 Million? By the way I stand corrected, you are absolutely right, their is no state tax in PA. The reason I was thrown off is by your math.
If the jackpot is won at the pressent $310 Million, the lump sum would be $193,400,00.00. Without state tax, the only deduction would be the standard federal 25% or $48,350,000.00. That should be coming up with $145, 050,000.00 (correct?)
Nobody is buying FL Lotto, the jackpot went from 2 million to 3 million. Very Weak Sales.
You are correct. But unless you mitigate your tax burden, you are responsible for the highest tax rate of 35% at the end of the year.
LOL! Todd! Good points!
Target is now running a special on new glasses. Perhaps you should pay them a visit.
That is the withholding. Come tax day 2013 you'd owe Uncle Sam another $19.34 million more or less, depending on your tax situation (charity and other deductions could reduce your taxable income).
But until tax day (14 months away) you'll have that additional 20 million to do something with and earn some income off of.
Big Big Big
You are a scholar, I am a fool.
This may be only the 13th highest jackpot size. But to me what the lottery people advertise as "jackpot" is really irrelevant. What counts is the cash value of that jackpot. So how does this compare with the highest winning cash value?
I told you the new Powerball will go above $300 million.
Predictions: The New Powerball Jackpot will reach $300 Million!
Sorry to break the bad news to those states, but I already have a winning ticket for the next drawing here in Illinois. P BHO connection karma....bring me those winning numbers. Oops...I haven't donated to his cause so I guess I am SOL and DOL...but then again that latter category puts me in the same boat as that guy who won Illinois Lotto with last bucks in his pockets (disclaimer: I am not that down on my luck, but things sure could be $190 million better come Sunday!).
Also, check the stats...It is Illinois' time to shine with a single winner.
I would be a bit bummed to be one of those 64 waking up this morning and seeing I only missed one of the field of five numbers! Would be homicidal if the missed number was 1 +/- from the drawn number! What I would want to kill are the 'lottery gods'. (I had to insert that so the FBI, DEA, ATF, CIA, IRS, FCC, etc did not come knocking on my door or even the TSA putting me on the 'no fly' list!)
Oh and the whole thing about the Powerball being rigged is ignorant.
Thanks Babel, you have educated me well.
Live a normal daily life for the next month, and have a little fun watching big media go nuts trying to find the winner.
Based on cash value (which I agree is the better comparison), the current Powerball jackpot is the 6th largest. The list of the top 46 jackpots is posted on my blog. By the way, I only list jackpots that were won.
Good luck.
Make anonymous phone calls to convenience stores telling them that you bought the winner there but it was lost or stolen.
Thanks!
It's all about what I am taking home at the end of the day.
Predictions: One of these 5 numbers can show for Sat. draw:
18, 29, 39, 40, and 52. Good luck everyone!
Hehe, imagine all the people trying to use that excuse at the store where the ticket was bought, if the winner decides to hold off a little while before filing a claim.
It can't be all that bad for media by choosing to claim privately under a trust. There would still be tons to write about on all the opportunists coming forward, lol!
Todd, i can take this states thing a step further,i joke around that in jersey all winning tix are sold in bergen,essex,and hudson counties,
i know its not true cause i can recall at least 2 big winners in cape may county,and 1 in atlantic county,
that tic. was sold in a store less than a mile from my house,
but in the news it seems like its always the first 3,
i suppose thats cause they sell more tix in those counties that are closest to nyc.
for anyone that thinks the lottery is rigged i wish they would explain the mechanics of the riggings,
Thanks for the info, but - your blog? When I click "Mario38" then "View Mario38's blog" on this site I get the following: "Mario38's Blog has 0 entries (0 private) and has been viewed 0 times."
It's probably better not to encourage him. It only leads to him throwing the thread off-topic, since he finds it impossible not to try and get the last word on everything.
keep tryin you wont win if you dont play....good luck..
don't do it, if the lottery thinks the tic. was stolen it could complicate making your claim.
Great point. It is interesting to contrast the lost ticket claims from Connecticut and the mystery from Iowa. No need to stir the pot. I'm sticking with the plan mentioned in another thread about keeping a store receipt that shows the location, date and time.
the lotteries are almost as rigged as carnival games.
Come to think of it, I never win that water pistol game where you try and pop the balloon before everyone else, and I also never win the lottery jackpot, so maybe you're right.
Hey kyokushini87, Your almost as rigged as Bernie Madoff, except he looked a lot prettier than you.
So is his statement that the cash value of the current PB the sixth highest cash value correct? And is there some place that does list that kind of information? Sorry, but until the past week I hadn't been around much for a couple of years, and I've not been familiar with what's been going on either on Lottery Post or in the lotteries in general.
According to the list I maintain, it is correct. I only list jackpots that are won. For example, the previous Powerball jackpot was large enough to make the list but was not included because it was not won.
The current Powerball jackpot is only $0.6 million behind 5th place. It will most likely reach 5th place by draw time. To find the list, search for "Mario's largest jackpots".
Good luck.
Stop being such a cheapskate little guy.
The advertising rates are very reasonable here.
And before you try to trick anybody into sending you money out of the country, remind them of how much you hate Christians as you stated in a thread saying you wish they'd all be raptured so you wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.
So I'm sure you wouldn't want any Christians sending you money out of the country where they'll never be able to get it back.
Ah, now I better comprehend what is going on. Sometimes one has to be around a bit before one understands the positions from which different individuals are speaking.
Personally, I tend to ignore anything that refers to online lottery sales since Washington State prohibits online lottery ticket sales and Internet gambling. I have no idea how many other states do so as well.
Uff Da!, you are wise to avoid buying lottery tickets online. It is hard enough to win the lottery. But to find out later the lottery company will not pay out the prize because the ticket was bought online would be the greatest of disappointments.
Isn't that why Powerball made the big change this year, to ensure they were going to have bigger jackpots?
Yep, the little guy's here to drum up business but he's so friggin' cheap he doesn't wanna pay for advertising so he just uses his little innuendoes to direct unwary members to contact him and get them to send money out of the country to him. And once your money's out of the country, that's it, it's gone. And he knows nobody's gonna get a lawyer to get 50 or 100 bucks back through international legal channels. And he hates Christians.
Mario38 is correct that this is the 6th highest cash jackpot from MM & PB. I was curious what the answer was before he had made his post so I took Todd's list and tracked down the cash option on those drawings. Here's the list, sorted by cash (the first number on each line). Towards the bottom it could be missing a few that had lower annuities but higher cash prizes but the top 15-20ish should be reliable.
240M - Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
233M - Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
210M - Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
208.3M - Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
202.9M - Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
193.4M - Powerball: $310 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - (preliminary estimate, not won yet)
185M - Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
180M - The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
177.3M - Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
176.7M - The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
170M - Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 26, 2002 - West Virgina
166M - Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
166M - Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
166M - Mega Millions: $275 million, Feb. 22, 2008 - Georgia
165.2M - Mega Millions: $266 million, May 4, 2010 - California
164.4M - Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
161.5M - Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
160M - Mega Millions: $270 million, Feb. 28, 2006 - Ohio
149M - Mega Millions: $265 million, Apr. 18, 2006 - Ohio
147.2M - Powerball: $261.3 million, Jul. 9, 2003 - Missouri, Pennsylvania
144.3M - Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
135.7M - Powerball: $276.3 million, Mar. 15, 2008 - West Virgina
134.2M - Powerball: $261.6 million, Jun. 2, 2010 - Ohio
129.5M - Powerball: $259.9 million, Aug. 19, 2009 - South Carolina
124.9M - Powerball: $258.5 million, Apr. 21, 2010 - Missouri
think about this dood.
if someones willing to rig a game for $2 plastic cupie doll, imagine what efforts they would go to to rig a $100M game?
Babel, where did you look to find the cash values for those draws? Some of your numbers are different than mine. I got my numbers from the news stories that were published at the time of the draw.
Thanks.