6th-biggest lottery jackpot in US history
By Todd Northrop
Due to larger than expected sales volume, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) has raised the official Powerball lottery jackpot estimate for Wednesday's drawing to $450 million.
The all-important lump-sum cash value of the jackpot has been raised to $275.4 million.
The newly-increased annuity and cash value jackpot amounts are both the 6th-largest ever recorded in United States lottery history. The top-25 annuity and cash value jackpots are listed below.
"Strong Powerball sales mean more revenue for public education in Texas and for other important causes supported by lotteries across the country," said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery and chair of the Powerball game group.
The Powerball drawing will be contacted Wednesday night at 10:59 pm Eastern Time (7:59 pm Pacific). The mammoth grand prize started at $40 million on Nov. 7, 2015, and is the result of 17 drawings with no jackpot winner.
After the Saturday evening Powerball drawing, when it was determined that there were no jackpot winners, the new jackpot estimate for Wednesday was set at $400 million, with a cash value of $244.8 million. The lottery sets the initial estimates based on what they conservatively believe the ticket sales will be prior to the next drawing. When it becomes clear that actual ticket sales are vastly outstripping the initial projections, the lotteries raise the jackpot estimate accordingly — as they did today.
It is quite possible that by the time the drawing occurs tomorrow night, the jackpot will be further increased. The final jackpot tally is announced during the live drawing show.
Lottery players seeking to check the winning numbers Wednesday night are urged to use USA Mega (www.usamega.com). State lottery Web sites are normally brought to a standstill during busy periods, while USA Mega normally remains responsive.
Powerball drawing results will be posted immediately after the 10:59 pm drawing at USA Mega. The number of winners and new jackpot will be announced after all participating Powerball states have reported their data, which normally occurs within a couple of hours after the drawing.
Tickets will remain on sale typically until 10:45 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, although players should check with a lottery retailer in their state for the exact sales cutoff time. Players are advised not to wait until the last minute.
The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 292 million. The odds of winning any of the Powerball prizes are approximately 1 in 25.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each.
Lottery players can see an after-tax analysis of the current Powerball jackpot by visiting USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis page.
Powerball features nine different prize levels, ranging from $4 all the way up to the jackpot. Players can win even if they just match one number — the Powerball number.
All states except California also offer the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket purchased. The Power Play multiplies any non-jackpot prizes won by the Power Play number drawn that evening.
Players who purchase the Power Play and win second prize will automatically have their prize increased by 2x to $2 million.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot currently stands tied for the 6th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. That position may rise again before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $450 million, Jan. 6, 2016 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
- Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
- Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
- 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
- Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
- Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
- Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
- 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: $326 million, Nov. 4, 2014 - New York
- Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
- Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
- Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 25, 2002 - West Virginia
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 13
- Mega Millions: 10
- 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.
Top 25 cash value jackpots
Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.
Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Powerball jackpot ranks as the 6th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($648 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $275.4 million cash, Jan. 6, 2016 ($450 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
- Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
- Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
- Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
- Mega Millions: $197.5 million cash, Nov. 4, 2014 ($326 million annuity) - New York
- Powerball: $197.4 million cash, Sep. 30, 2015 ($310.5 million annuity) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $194.4 million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
- The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan
- Mega Millions: $177.3 million cash, Jan. 16, 2015 ($270 million annuity) - Illinois
- Powerball: $177.3 million cash, Feb. 18, 2006 ($365 million annuity) - Nebraska
- Powerball: $170.5 million cash, Dec. 25, 2002 ($314.9 million annuity) - West Virginia
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 13
- Mega Millions: 11
- The Big Game: 1
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keep those doggies rolling
Good luck to everyone playing!
Big money
I have to deliver a load in eastern Pennsylvania. I had $5 worth of winners to redeem. So, I decided to stop at Penn 80 Flying J truck stop where Steve Peloquin won Mega Millions back in July. Surprisingly, there was no line. In fact, I had to wait about 3 mins. for someone to come over. I bought 2 quick picks powered up with the $5. My Mega numbers are alright. I really like my Powerball numbers. Good luck everyone!
5 numbers with powerplay. 2 my own numbers, 3 qp Then wait for Lady luck. Good luck all of you
Wonderful- As Little Richard once said " You keeping talking like that, you gonna make me scream like a white woman in church."
SINGLEWINNERSINGLEWINNERSINGLEWINNER
Yes, thank you, you too.
But seriously folks, all I want is a couple of million, and I'll be set.
So, if you are the sole winner, I now ask for $1 million even. It was .5,
then, .75. I now want the whole million, since the jp just got upped 50 million.
MUSL estimates are all too often portrayed as "fact" by participating lotteries in promotional ads, and don't reflect reality. The #3 jackpot won in Florida a few years ago was widely advertised as $600 million annuity, and yet only paid out $590 million annuity. Deceptive.
Sure, the FL winner still made out well, but many players who didn't win, played in large part, due to seeing the $600 million advertised number, which turned out be a faulty estimate - again, to reiterate, widely advertised, in effect, as fact, by many participating lotteries.
Rambling on, but point is that a $50 million jackpot estimate jump seems pretty steep. Don't put too much stock in that being real. My rule of thumb, since the Florida incident, is 1/2 of a jump is probably legit. So $425 million annuity (50 / 2) is probably a safe estimate. Good luck to all who play.
Good Luck to us! Holding out for a LP winner!
That would be amazing.
Very good point. Thanks for adding clarity to this issue.
Best of luck to all the lottery players out there!
I would like to thank in advance all the little people who bought tickets and let me win this jackpot and no I will not be handing out any money to any one so don't ask this money is all mine baby!-weshar75
I just bought my line for the next draw from an Albertson's vending machine. So if someone in Boise wins from there, you'll know it's me.
I don't believe they were being "deceptive" advertising a $600m jackpot. It is in fact an estimate after all. They can't know beforehand the exact amount the jackpot will be because there are too many factors. At super high jackpot levels, it is to be expected that their estimates have a greater degree of variance as opposed to lower jackpot levels. Sometimes their estimates are higher, sometimes they're lower. I'd say just a $10m difference at those levels is actually pretty close. Surely had they advertised a $600m jackpot, and then come draw time, the jackpot was actually $610m, you wouldn't be calling them deceptive.
Hey now, HoLeeKau, that means I'll have to buy one from Albertsons too. Just to deepen the mystery.
LOL Good luck, GG! Hope it comes to Boise again. It's been too long.
...watch this space.
Yes, it's been awhile, huh. Good luck to you too, man
46-53-55-56-63 + 22
15-34-47-56-58 + 05
04-16-58-65-68 + 19
03-04-21-55-60 + 07
13-17-22-28-63 + 08
14-18-31-33-54 + 10
09-19-44-50-59 + 22
09-15-29-31-44 + 11
18-44-45-58-65 + 25
06-15-30-32-39 + 09
03-04-31-37-44 + 26
24-44-46-47-53 + 02
15-21-24-37-46 + 12
03-27-35-46-65 + 14
16-19-27-40-46 + 18
05-11-30-38-39 + 02
18-22-25-26-49 + 16
36-49-63-64-66 + 14
01-12-18-21-29 + 22
01-06-29-42-53 + 11
07-14-38-49-69 + 15
01-12-21-22-52 + 05
17-35-38-64-69 + 20
07-41-58-65-67 + 09
07-13-16-39-56 + 14
17-30-45-53-56 + 19
10-19-50-56-58 + 01
02-12-16-57-61 + 25
06-35-40-41-63 + 07
04-20-42-62-67 + 01
28-30-40-43-45 + 08
09-14-24-43-51 + 09
20-34-38-54-62 + 01
05-39-48-62-68 + 12
15-25-32-34-35 + 20
09-22-50-62-67 + 26
03-13-22-31-66 + 05
17-18-48-60-67 + 09
13-35-40-56-68 + 15
06-35-50-55-62 + 05
12-21-36-53-57 + 09
13-27-36-59-64 + 01
16-34-40-50-54 + 13
02-08-11-13-14 + 02
30-40-52-65-68 + 10
09-10-20-31-62 + 06
01-21-46-61-67 + 06
23-25-30-62-68 + 15
10-38-42-51-58 + 22
08-19-26-58-67 + 21
Dreaming BIG!!!!
Now that PB jackpot is $450M I've decided to buy 10 PB tickets with no guarantee instead of 15 MM tickets with every megaball and a guarantee of a $1 win.
just went out and bought the exact same numbers so you and i can share the jackpot.
Gotta be in it to win it.
Dear God:
I don't go to strip clubs with wads of cash left in unlocked cars; I'm not an alcoholic, drug addict or recovering addict of any kind; I've never been involved in an armed robbery; I don't have a boyfriend with a condiment as a nickname; I've never, nor will I ever, buy 400 pairs of the same pants.
I know I'm not the kind of person to have or do any of these things, even so, could you please let me win this one?
OK, I'm weak. I have no will power. I caved.
I have not bought a powerball ticket since the matrix change. I said that I would only play when it was $500 million or more. But I have had a bad day and when my husband very nicely offered to stop and pick me up some tickets I said yes.
so, I may be weak and have no will power. I may have caved. But...
I'M IN!
Its her money,it doesn,t help me one way or the other.I,m going to buy me a powerball ticket an see if the lottery gods will bless me.I don,t care what marie does with her money.three dollars an a dream.
Sorry wrong tread,this is about marie.
Well, Business Insider has declared that it's not worth buying a ticket. I wonder if I can take my ticket back for a refund before the drawing?
"Consider the expected value
When trying to evaluate the outcome of a risky, probabilistic event like the lottery, one of the first things to look at is "expected value." The expected value of a randomly decided process is found by taking all of the possible outcomes of the process, multiplying each outcome by its probability, and adding all of these numbers up. This gives us a long-run average value for our random process.
Expected value is helpful for assessing gambling outcomes. If my expected value for playing the game, based on the cost of playing and the probabilities of winning different prizes, is positive, then in the long run the game will make me money. If expected value is negative, then this game is a net loser for me."
http://news.yahoo.com/did-math-450-million-powerball-214235140.html?nf=1
You wonder if you can get a refund on a lottery ticket? Are you serious? Hopefully you were kidding.
It's not surprising to see a mainstream news source claiming lotteries are bad bets. In case you haven't noticed, every mainstream news source says playing ANY lottery game is stupid.
Tell that to the guy who wins.
Also, I wasn't aware that spending $2 on a lottery ticket was such a big deal to the folks at Business Insider. The reporter probably spent double that amount on their last cup of coffee. Funny how they spend all that time obsessing over a $2 lottery ticket. Pretty dumb.
My new cottage will be on 7.4 acres and only $995,000!
0 IN 292,201,338 VERSUS 1 IN 292,201,338 TO WIN THE JACKPOT.
"I play only to win the big jackpot, regardless of the odds. I only buy a ticket or two. There is not much difference between 1 or 100 in 292,201,338 but there is a huge difference between those odds and 0 in 292,201,338. In other words not much reason to buy several tickets, just one." RAY
01-03-30-55-62 / 03
07-24-32-38-59 / 25
24-28-31-32-34 / 20
04-39-40-41-48 / 13
17-21-38-39-64 / 11
03-23-28-40-54 / 09
09-10-12-36-37 / 26
17-20-21-48-57 / 20
01-21-50-52-62 / 12
04-16-29-46-49 / 12
17-21-25-39-45 / 01
04-22-59-66-69 / 06
13-32-45-46-47 / 12
34-35-58-59-69 / 13
23-32-41-48-61 / 06
05-15-21-39-59 / 15
01-04-16-58-69 / 04
11-15-18-57-68 / 21
05-23-48-64-68 / 16
03-16-39-46-54 / 06
14-20-28-60-66 / 26
07-08-30-60-63 / 18
10-13-25-32-33 / 10
08-11-15-25-35 / 05
24-26-30-65-68 / 19
03-17-32-52-56 / 06
12-22-31-35-38 / 10
28-33-34-45-51 / 19
06-30-44-58-62 / 20
04-07-20-30-31 / 23
34-39-44-53-58 / 16
25-27-33-45-48 / 18
07-24-32-36-49 / 13
09-23-34-62-64 / 08
19-28-36-43-61 / 19
11-12-14-40-63 / 19
27-35-45-49-65 / 16
42-60-62-63-67 / 04
05-35-49-63-67 / 19
13-15-21-49-67 / 17
38-45-47-58-61 / 03
10-18-41-68-69 / 22
01-05-19-21-46 / 11
08-09-12-33-58 / 11
03-19-21-29-67 / 26
05-11-21-44-45 / 14
20-21-41-50-55 / 12
08-17-25-37-60 / 01
30-34-43-54-58 / 06
03-35-46-54-66 / 18
Wouldn't that be something if this thing hit a billion dollars or more. That would be kind of crazy to see. As always I would happily take a million and quietly disappear.
My heroic efforts and sob story to get my tickets in DC.
-Left work 30 minutes early ....on the coldest day of the year...so I could make it to a convenience store (closes at 6 pm) by the metro.
-This meant I skipped my bus...2 blocks from work... that would take me directly to my neighborhood.
-Got my tickets for 4 drawings and went downstairs to the metro. Missed the train by 10 seconds that would take me to the Pentagon where I could take a bus home.
-Ran up and out of metro to catch another bus across the street that also goes to my neighborhood. Waited 20 minutes and the bus zipped by and failed to stop for any of us.
-Ran back downstairs to metro and caught a train with a second the spare.
-Got off at the Pentagon to catch my bus and two were there. Ended up on the one where the driver went on a 15 minute break while the other bus passed us by.
Yes...I deserve to win. Lol
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/297783/4417127
See my post from 2 days ago. They underestimated sales for the last draw and hence this coming draw. It seems like a big leap but it's really not considering they were under-advertising to begin with. Of course they would rather "raise" the jackpot to drum up more excitement than advertise it at proper levels from the start.
You certainly worked for your ticket!
Ever think about taking the red line over to Maryland where you can claim your win anonymously?
Good Luck!
The thing about "experts" is that they will always jump on the opportunity to come out and be right about something, no matter how meaningless that something is.
Yea...people have mentioned that to me but I work long hours in NW DC and live in nova. Some weekend though I need to do this. I don't live near a metro so waiting on my bus back into va on a weekend would take forever. But it would be a perfect way to win.
I could use Todd's lottery places app. in MD.
Todd... I would like a refund if I do not win also. Lol
If I don't win it I hope one of us Texan LP members win it.
Impossible to have a chance unless you are in!
So if this thing rolls, I am assuming no more than 4 more drawings...or I will have to leave work early to get tickets. I think we might be at 750 million or more in 4 more drawings??? Then I can go back to not playing again. Lol
If my expected value for playing the game, based on the cost of playing and the probabilities of winning different prizes, is positive, then in the long run the game will make me money. If expected value is negative, then this game is a net loser for me.
Note that with probabilities as small as the ones in the lottery, the "long run" over which things average out is much longer than any one player's lifetime.
Yep, every time a jackpot gets into the "must win" range, the so called experts come out of the woodwork. The NFL playoffs are just starting, the college football final is next week, the NBA and college basketball are mid season, and the presidential primaries are over a month away so it's a slow news day/week/month and the PB jackpot is the news.
The "experts" either tell us why buying a ticket is a bad idea or will tell us how to win. For those of us that discuss lottery stuff, it's simple; if a person can't afford to buy a ticket, it's a bad idea and if we want a chance to win, we buy a ticket(s).