Powerball ticket-buying frenzy this week
By Todd Northrop
This week lottery players across the United States will be pulling out all the stops to try and win Powerball, featuring one of the largest lottery jackpots in history, worth an estimated $1.2 billion.
The Powerball jackpot has been building for 32 consecutive drawings since the last winner on July 19, when one ticket from California won a $1.08 billion jackpot. The ticket was sold at the Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles, and has not yet been claimed. One woman did decide to make a scene inside the store and apparently pretend to be the winner.
Monday night when there were no Powerball jackpot winners, the new jackpot for Wednesday's drawing was estimated at $1.2 billion, with a lump-sum cash option of $551.7 million. More than a half-billion dollars in cash!
For the 4th time in history, a Powerball jackpot has reached $1 billion. It is the 7th-largest lottery jackpot in US history, and the 9th-largest cash option ever offered. (See complete top-25 jackpot rankings for annuity and cash values below.)
Of course, any big winner (or winners) of Wednesday's Powerball jackpot will have to pay taxes on their prize, so the website USA Mega has a handy Powerball Jackpot Analysis page available to calculate the federal and state taxes that would be withheld upon payout. The feature calculates both the initial withholdings and the final tax burden due at the end of the year, and even can show taxes calculated for different IRS filing statuses.
Players looking for a nearby lottery retailer — or that out-of-the-way retailer with a smaller line — are encouraged to use Lottery Places, the only app for iOS, Android, and Windows that can locate the nearest lottery retailers in every jurisdiction that sells Powerball and Mega Millions. The helpful app can locate lottery stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, much of Canada, and the Caribbean.
Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. Players can see if they can play Powerball online by tapping the link. Depending on the physical location of the person, the link will either provide access via a licensed butler service or the official state lottery itself.
Butler services provide scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, such lottery ticket services were used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.
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 $1.04 billion, but by the time all the proceeds were counted just before draw-time, the jackpot had swelled to $1.0662 billion — an increase of more than $26 million.
The winning numbers for Monday, October 2, 2023 were 12, 26, 27, 43, and 47, with Powerball number 5. The Power Play number was 2.
The Monday Double Play drawing results were 11, 26, 35, 40, and 43, with Powerball number 24. Double Play is a game option currently available in 18 states that lets you play your numbers in a second drawing for $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 Monday, 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Delaware, 1 from Michigan, 1 from New York, and 1 from South Carolina.
The 2 second-prize tickets sold in New York and South Carolina were purchased the Power Play option for an extra $1 per play, doubling their prizes 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 official drawing videos can also be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega.
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 Monday drawing, 82 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 12 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $100,000, and 13 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $14,572 this drawing.
Following the Monday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $133.8 million from its previous amount of $1.0662 billion and the cash value was raised by $61.5 million from its previous amount of $490.2 million.
The next Powerball drawing will take place Wednesday 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
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 7th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 3rd-largest Powerball jackpot ever. Brisk sales will almost certainly push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023 (31 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Florida
- 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
- Powerball: $1.2 billion, Oct. 4, 2023 (32 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $1.0798 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- 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
- 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
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
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 9th-largest cash value in U.S. 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: $794.2 million cash, Aug. 8, 2023 ($1.602 billion annuity) - Florida
- 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: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $551.7 million cash, Oct. 4, 2023 ($1.2 billion annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- 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: $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
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 16
- Mega Millions: 9
"This week lottery players across the United States will be pulling out all the stops to try and win Powerball, featuring one of the largest lottery jackpots in history, worth an estimated $1.2 billion."
Please, please, don't pull out all the stops to try and win. Just be a rational human, see the odds and just buy one ticket.
Don't get sucked into the hype. Your brain is going to tell you "this is your moment" well, the brain of 100 million other people is telling them just about the same thing 🤷🏾♂️
Of course you got to be in it to win it, but you don't have to be in it in leaps and bounds all the way up to your eye brows 😳.
Bottom line, spend what you can afford to loose (if that means 50 tickets, well, good for you)
I had my one ticket for yesterdays draw, matched only 26, won zero.
Got my MM ticket for today with the multiplier on it and will get one ticket for Wednesday PB draw with power play on it.
I wish us all luck 😁
Good advice
Solid advice. There are some players that think buying a boatload of tickets will do the trick, but it wont because it cant.
Even if you could afford to buy $100,000 worth of tickets, (50,000 lines if you dont buy the PowerPlay) doing so pales in comparison to the possible 292.2 million lines/combo's of 6 numbers that could be drawn. There's probably somebody out there that could afford to buy $100,000 worth of PB tickets, but that person is probably be smart enough not to do it. G5
Yes, I remember when it was $2b and was standing behind a sharp dressed n handsome guy who spent $1k, presumably a lottery pool and he had this winning smile on his face as to say "we stoopid, I got the winner"
no amnt is a guarantee
I have limited myself to $20 much less than before
keep playing same nbrs for 10 yrs and cple QPs
that's it
Lets wait and see. There is a pattern system in these lotteries. I am waiting for someone with notes and i can possibly figure it out. But it's not guaranteed it will be huge hit.
Headed out to get a few PB tickets. Might even grab one for tonights MM draw. That would be a nice tidy sum to win, while the focus is on the bigger prize. Good luck to all LP participants.
Good luck to everybody but especially to New Jersey 🤞😛
I always tell my friends I'm going to win the lottery someday and they always tell me it's rigged you better off putting in a camp fire when you having s'mores with family and watch it burn 😳 They told me LOVE is all you need and is always greater than money, I said I agree but have you ever paid your Bills with a HUG. I'm just saying 🤷🏾♂️. So one auto pick with the powerplay and I go about my day and only hope I become charlie buckett. Until then I'll find other ways to build wealth while everyone else is spending hundreds of dollars building up the pot for someone else to take their life fortune. It won't be me. I tell you that. I understand the odds. By the way heard rumblings in stores from some people on vacation in Carolinas their looking into raising the ticket price to $3 a play. Someone said their doing a testing on it out west in Oregon I believe. I couldn't find anything on or the validation the on it this but if anyone else heard this please place a post because if so I'm quitting because their getting to darn greedy 🤦🏾♂️
best of luck to those playing, but I figure it'll probably hit in an anonymous state LOL
Well I'll take that as good luck to me since i play in an anonymous state. 👍👍
You get to dream the same dream with one ticket as you do with one hundred.
Only buy as many as you can afford.
Don't spend the rent / mortgage money on tickets. It's not a sure thing and you will end up sorry after none of you ticket is a winner.
Good luck to one and all. Especially this one.
And, don't for get to say the lottery prayer...
"Please God, let me win the lottery" and make sure you buy a ticket this time!
Goodbye 1995 Honda Accord. Hello Nissan NISMO GTR
I said the lottery prayer once:
"Please God, let me win the lottery"
God replied "I too am trying to win it, but the devil is not sharing the numbers with me"
Change of plan "Dear Devil ....... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"