5th-largest jackpot in US history
By Todd Northrop
This week Powerball is the hot ticket, featuring a massive jackpot that is approaching a billion dollars.
The new high-water mark of $800 million for the current Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Wednesday night's $715.3 million grand prize.
It is the 5th-highest lottery jackpot in history, and the 2nd-largest Powerball jackpot ever.
The lump-sum cash payout value of Saturday's Powerball jackpot is $383.7 million — the 13th-largest ever recorded in United States lottery history. (See top 25 annuity and cash values below.)
Players looking to calculate what they would receive after the initial federal and state tax withholdings can find it all pre-calculated for each Powerball jurisdiction on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lottery games.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever awarded was on January 13, 2016, when three tickets from California, Florida, and Tennessee shared a $1.6 billion grand prize. The Florida and Tennessee winners claimed their prizes quickly, but the California winner waited about six months to claim their share.
Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs. For example, the original estimate for Wednesday's drawing was $700 million, but by the time all the proceeds were counted just before draw-time, the jackpot had swelled to $715.3 million.
Saturday's mammoth prize is the result of 36 consecutive draws without a winner. The run-up started as a $20 million prize on Aug. 6.
Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. States that offer this ability include Colorado (Mega Millions and Powerball), Michigan (Mega Millions and Powerball), Minnesota (Mega Millions and Powerball), Oregon (Mega Millions and Powerball), Texas (Mega Millions and Powerball), and Virginia (Mega Millions and Powerball). Note that some of these links will only work properly for residents of the states mentioned.
Players outside the USA can use a reputable butler service, which provides scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, the lottery ticket service was used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.
The winning numbers for Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 were 19, 36, 37, 46, and 56, with Powerball number 24. The Power Play number was 2.
The Wednesday Double Play drawing results were 5, 36, 38, 39, and 54, with Powerball number 19. Double Play is a game option currently available in 14 states that lets you play your numbers in a second drawing for an extra $1 per play, with a chance to win up to $10 million in cash. See How to Play Powerball at USA Mega for more information about Double Play.
Even though nobody won the jackpot Wednesday, 6 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 2 from California, 1 from Connecticut, 1 from Illinois, 1 from Michigan, and 1 from New York. (The two California winners will be awarded $1,556,855 each due to the state's pari-mutuel payouts.)
None of the second-prize winners purchased the Power Play option. If they had, their prize would have been doubled to $2 million.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, a second-prize win is doubled and any other non-jackpot prize is multplied by the Power Play number drawn that evening. A complete list of prizes available for matching various numbers can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts and the Powerball Double Play Prize Payouts pages at Lottery Post.
Power Play is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered in Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.
Also in the Wednesday drawing, 60 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 11 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $100,000, and 5 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $31,421 this drawing.
Following the Wednesday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $84.7 million from its previous amount of $715.3 million and the cash value was raised by $40.6 million from its previous amount of $343.1 million.
The next Powerball drawing will take place Saturday night at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 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 5th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Powerball: $800 million, Oct 29, 2022 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Prelimiary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
- Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 (22 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 (34 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $522 million, Jun. 7, 2019 (24 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $516 million, May 21, 2021 (26 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $502 million, Oct. 14, 2022 (21 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Florida
- Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $473.1 million, Apr. 27, 2022 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Arizona
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 14
- Mega Millions: 11
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.
The upcoming Powerball jackpot ranks as the 12th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
- Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $383.7 million cash, Oct 29, 2022 ($800 million annuity) - Prelimiary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
- Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $349.3 million cash, May 21, 2021 ($516 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($648 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $341.7 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $319.9 million cash, Jun. 9, 2020 ($414 million annuity) - Arizona
- Mega Millions: $314.4 million cash, Sep. 21, 2021 ($431 million annuity) - New York
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 12
- Mega Millions: 13
Yesterday was sitting in a busy lottery store in Shelbyville, KY. They have three self serve lottery machines and one clerk operated one.
Looked @ the left machine. Said $10 credit so played MM, PB and gave me friend whom I was waiting for one PB ticket. All three bought with multipliers.
OTOH feeling awful getting my first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine yesterday. Rough night! Interesting had read an article that said folks like me who get ill from vaccines actually have better vaccine response. Been saying that for over two years and now Science backs me up.
Well, this will occupy us for a cple days! That inflation is a mess
what you gonna invest in if taken cash?
thinking annuity but don't want name announced after 30days here in TX
Thanks for the update. I hope my ticket is the Illinois million dollar winner, but can't check quite yet.
If I win on Saturday, I'll take the lump sum straight away. As far as investments, about a quarter will go directly into a mix of beaten down assets, with another quarter going into bonds, one quarter earmarked to dollar cost average into indices over the next year to two years, and the last quarter to stay in cash. Splurges would include a modest home, a Wagoneer or Sequoia, and a getaway, maybe Japan.
Thanks Lottery Post, and good luck to everyone!
i can see why no one wins,i bought 5 tickets and only one number hit outa all those numbers,kinda sickening.
01 02 03 04 05 + 06
lol not happening.
It will roll higher before Saturday for sure. Just how much is the question.
I'm glad no one in the cheater states won!
quit your whining !!!
you did better then me I had a pair of tickets and got nothing but more scrap paper
onward and upwards we go
Why is the cash amount so much less then only a few months ago. In July when the annuity prize was 830 million the cash prize was 488 million. now it is only 383 million for 800 million annuity. I would like to know why? I know it is the powerball vs the mega million but if you go back into the powerball history then you would see the same trend. Why almost 100 million difference?
I say 850
I spent $40 and thought abt using 24 but forgot
not giving up but will trim to $30 lol
You misspelled $cience.
3 days to $900mil
what company gonna buy 200k tkts this time
any wagers on the odds of it hitting a billion dollars and hitting in an anonymous state ?!?
'cause thats the direction it seems to be headed
Ok , I'll bite and buy 1 ticket in the next town over. Nobody in my town has won a jackpot since 1988 so I guess they don't like my zip code.
* Perhaps Wander73, but we all recall an elderly female named Gloria Mackenzie from Florida " cutting in line" or allowed in line to purchase lottery tickets years ago. The rest is history...
The Cash value is based off of the amount of government bonds The Lottery would have to purchase in order to pay out the annuity amount. For the past several years those bonds paid little interests. Now they are paying over 4%. The difference is the amount of $ they earn in interests compounded over 20 years. Or something like that.
65 66 67 68 69 1
It's not a public stunt. The name =56. I guess you haven't learned. Do you agree that maybe after the world series a winning ticket?
I don't believe it but thank you.
Say yes to Michigan.
No, I won't be playing 1-2-3-4-5-6 because according to statistics 10K play this number on a daily basis. I can't imagine how much money each person would get after taxes from $800M. Reminds me of the TV show "Lost". A bunch of people played Hurley's lottery number. Four of the six number came out and each person got $150
I believe it was in the article the other day. It said something about the cash option is much lower now than before because of inflation being so bad. The cash option is cash-on-hand. At this point it does look so much better to take the annuity. Then again, will the state still be solvent enough to have the annuity money 30 years down the line
I've learned that you never believe any of the news stories posted.
I don't know in what universe a CEO of a well-known company buying a hundred thousand PB tickets isn't a publicity stunt. Good luck to you anyway.
I am sure someone else already said this but I haven't started reading the comments yet.
It is, in reality, the 13th largest Jackpot. Cash is King and you can play all the nonsense you want with the annuity amount even using it to claim the jackpot is Ten Trillion dollars if you want!
I'll stick with the cash rating
If the state lotteries promoted the cash value rather than the 30-year jackpot, they would miss out on a tremendous amount of money.
Rich people don't play lottery only poor schmucks like us do
If there is no hit Saturday night, I'm going to look over all the numbers, white balls, and all the extra balls, and see what I come up with. figure out what's going to get drawn.
yes, the pattern of things I don't think it comes out. I might be one of the first members on this board in the United States of America to get something to her three times because no YouTube video is going to do it.
Plus, I will showcase the showing site that I've been doing and knock out, Amazon eBay all the conversations that don't pay a corporate tax
Noooooooooooo.....a T state...liiiiike Tennessee for example
As someone from the West Coast, I know I can bet that the would-be winner is someone from the East Coast, if not California.
The quick pick machines here literally picked three same powerball number in a 5-play $10 ticket and same multiple numbers in all of the 5 draws.
I'm wondering if it's better to get five $2 tickets or the 5-play $10 ticket.
"any wagers on the odds of it hitting a billion dollars "
The upside of sluggish sales is that there's a very good chance we'll see another rollover on Saturday night and if it rolls the next jackpot will almost certainly be over a billion.
If the advertised jackpot reaches 850 by the time this one is done there will be about 111 million tickets in play. If all of those tickets were chosen randomly the chance of a rollover would be almost 70%. If it makes it to 900 million (I'd guess it's unlikely since sales weren't strong enough for a bump today) there will be about 148 million tickets and the chance of a rollover will be 60.3%. Of course even if it does reach a billion the cash value will only be about $480 million, making it comparable to the $830 million jackpot MM advertised 3 months ago.
FWIW, setting a new cash record would require an advertised jackpot of just over $2.05 billion, assuming the cash:annuity ratio stays the same). That's possible, but it would require selling about another billion tickets (including tickets for this Saturday). The chance of that happening without a winner is about 3%.
"The Cash value is based off of the amount of government bonds ..."
The cash value is based on the cash they have from selling tickets and would use to buy the securities for funding an annuity in the unlikely event a winner chooses the annuity.
"It is, in reality, the 13th largest Jackpot. "
At least that's better than a few days ago, when the top 25 list had to be expanded to list a jackpot of $610 million as the 26th largest.
No, It depends on your definition of rich. I remember seeing an interview with one of the stars of NBC Chicago Fire TV show a few years ago. The Powerball or Mega Millions was close to $1B. The reporter asked have you bought your tickets for the drawing and he said yes. Also there was an NBA player who said he was buying $1,000 worth of tickets. This most recent time when the Mega Millions was $1B, rapper DJ Khaled posted on Twitter, himself holding what looked to be several thousand dollars worth of tickets. His net worth is 75 million dollars. So rich people do play the lottery.
Saturday's jackpot raised to $825 million, with cash option of $410.2 million.
Turning $2 Into $800 Million.