By Todd Northrop
Powerball lottery players might be wondering this morning why the jackpot only increased by $25 million after nobody won last night's $875 million grand prize.
The answer is that the last jackpot was estimated too high. During the live drawing it was announced that after all proceeds were counted, the final jackpot tally came to $829.4 million — $45.6 million shy of the expected amount. Likewise, the cash value that was initially estimated to reach $452.2 million only in fact came to $428.6 million.
The lower-than-expected jackpot tallies were the result of ticket sales not meeting the optimistic levels initially estimated earlier in the week. A detailed look at how jackpots are estimated and calculated can be found in Lottery Post's video on the subject, How are lottery jackpots calculated?
Given the context of these revised numbers for last night's drawing, the new jackpot estimate of $900 million for Monday's drawing makes more sense, indicating an expected increase of $70.6 million from last night's actual annuity jackpot. The Monday cash value of $465.1 million represents a $36.5 million expected increase from last night's actual cash value.
And despite the missed estimate for Saturday's drawing, $900 million on tap for Monday night is still one of the largest jackpots ever offered for any lottery drawing in history, standing at #7 on the all-time list (see the top 25 annuity and cash value jackpots below.)
Lottery players dreaming what all the cash will look like in their bank account after federal and state taxes are taken out can see an after-tax analysis of the current Powerball jackpot by visiting USA Mega's Powerball Jackpot Analysis page. Rather than simply showing the initial withholdings a lottery winner would face like other "copy cat" websites, the Jackpot Analysis page also includes the additional taxes that will be due after the initial withholdings, and will even allow players to see the taxes due under different filing statuses.
Players looking for the nearest official lottery retailer — or maybe just a different store without such a long line — are urged to use the free Lottery Places app available for iOS, Android, and Windows. The app can find lottery stores in every Powerball state and can search across state lines — something even official state lotteries can't do.
Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. States that offer this ability include 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.
In Saturday night's Powerball drawing, there was no jackpot winner, but 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Colorado and 2 from Texas.
None of the second-prize tickets was purchased with the Power Play option, which would have doubled their prize 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.
The Power Play option is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered with the Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all lottery prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold within California and the number of tickets that won at each prize level in the state.
Also, a total of 89 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. Of those tickets, 14 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $100,000, and 8 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $23,769.
The Powerball winning numbers for Saturday, July 15, 2023, were 2, 9, 43, 55, and 57, with Powerball number 18. The Power Play number was 2.
The Saturday Double Play drawing results were 12, 21, 23, 37, and 52, 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.
Powerball is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Monday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 7th-largest lottery jackpot in world history. 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.
Also shown is the current Mega Millions jackpot, which is simultaneously reaching historic levels — now sitting at 16th on the all-time rankings.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- 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: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
- 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: $900 million, Jul. 17, 2023 (37 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary 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: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
- 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
- Mega Millions: $640 million, Jul. 18, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- 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
For those keeping score, 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.
Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Powerball jackpot ranks as the 12th-largest cash value in world history.
- Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
- 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
- Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
- 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: $465.1 million cash, Jul. 17, 2023 ($900 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
- 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: $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: $328 million cash, Jul. 18, 2023 ($640 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
best of luck to us all
Wow. That previous estimate was way off. People just aren't buying them like they used to at these amounts. Anyways, I buy my tickets the very same. Good luck to us all for life changing results. 👍👍
Lottery places app still not working on the Android phone just now.
Perhaps because both MM & PB are sky high folks are having lottery fatigue?
What I'd love to see JUST ONCE is PB take all the X2 balls out for Powerplay as a reward to its loyal customers (insert laugh).
anything is possible, but highly unlikely
but then considering, I've never applied the multiplier to any ticket I've bought........
Over 10 years ago I wrote what I would clear by winning the lottery way before the jackpots were big. I haven't consistently played the lottery like I use to since the Hot Lotto fraud scandal. I chalked up me buying lottery tickets as a way to fund those sharp criminals that find a way to collect money from the poor.
Since I was reminded a few times of my goal recently it gave me the urge to play again. Here I am, I will try my luck 1 more time. If it works good if not it will certainly remind me again of why I stopped playing and I'm sure I will quit playing.
I'm curious, how many other people do the same thing?
I think it's going to take some time to get to ova bil
u got 2 jkpots
I had that same issue with the lottery app. I switched back to iOS( mainly for work). Maybe you can reach out to your state for assistance. My state helped me get on my android phone, it was the dmv who messed something up on my license in the database.
I don't believe it. Notice they didn't announce last night too. Something weird.
With inflation people don't have extra money to buy lottery tickets. Plus, after last big jackpot drawing being a mess, a lot think its rigged.
This makes no sense. I keep track of ticket sales.
For Wednesday's July 12th drawing $107,649,307 in ticket sales - Powerball + Powerplay sales $750 million jackpot
For last Saturday's July 15th drawing $167,822,992 in ticket sales - Powerball + Powerplay sales $829 million jackpot
For next Monday July 17th jackpot = $900 million
So from Wednesday to Saturday the jackpot rose $79 million but is only rising $71 million after ticket sales went up by 56% - that makes no sense.
Only $25 million was won on Saturday in both games combined nationwide so that was not the issue either.
I agree... and less discretionary income due to high inflation could be a reason why ticket sales aren't what they once were.
Adding to the fact that inflation is high, and that extra large jackpots probably aren't seeming all that out of the ordinary to people might be why lottery officials overestimated ticket sales for the next jackpot. G5
That app was OK, but in reality not needed when you think that most establishments sell lotto tickets in lottery participating states. Here in this town of 2300 there are four places to play all in a 3km or so area, an easy walk.
Last night used the Ottolball and played @ the store. Now just manually put them in on-line play. Usually don't play on Sundays but what the heck!!
When Primm lotto store in CA opens in a couple or so hours will check to see if they have live-feed, don't think they do. Like to see the long lines there.
here we go again high jackpot than only one winner tommorow it happen
Didnt win and didn't have the PB on any ticket. That's okay, onward we go. C'mon Monday
Best of luck to each participating LP member on this nice run.