Powerball ticket-buying frenzy this week as game seeks to create billionaire
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 $1.3 billion.
The Powerball jackpot has been building for 40 consecutive drawings since the last winner on May 31, when one ticket from California won a $204.5 million jackpot. The ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven on Woodman Avenue in Arleta, and has not yet been claimed.
Monday night when there were no Powerball jackpot winners, the new jackpot for Wednesday's drawing was estimated at $1.3 billion, with a lump-sum cash option of $589 million. More than a half-billion dollars in cash!
For the 6th time in history, a Powerball jackpot has reached $1 billion. It is the 9th-largest lottery jackpot in US history, and the 10th-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 Monday's drawing was $1.1 billion, but by the time all the proceeds were counted just before draw-time, the jackpot had swelled to $1.2009 billion — an increase of more than $100 million.
The winning numbers for Monday, September 1, 2025 were 8, 23, 25, 40, and 53, with Powerball number 5. The Power Play number was 3.
The Monday Double Play drawing results were 1, 15, 26, 48, and 67, with Powerball number 19. Double Play is a game option currently available in 22 states, plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, 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, 12 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from California, 1 from Florida, 1 from Kentucky, 1 from Massachusetts, 1 from Michigan, 1 from Montana (with Power Play), 2 from New Jersey, 1 from New York, 1 from North Carolina (with Power Play), 1 from Pennsylvania, and 1 from Virginia.
Two of the second-prize tickets — the ones sold in Montana and North Carolina — were purchased with the Power Play option, which doubles 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, 149 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 25 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $150,000, and 15 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $23,525 this drawing.
Following the Monday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $99.1 million from its previous amount of $1.2009 billion and the cash value was raised by $44.9 million from its previous amount of $544.1 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 9th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 5th-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
- Powerball: $1.7649 billion, Oct. 11, 2023 (35 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: $1.3259 billion, Apr. 6, 2024 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Oregon
- Powerball: $1.3 billion, Sep. 3, 2025 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $1.269 billion, Dec. 27, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.128 billion, Mar. 26, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - New Jersey
- 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: $842.4 million, Jan. 1, 2024 (34 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $800 million, Sep. 10, 2024 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Texas
- 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
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 10th-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
- Powerball: $774.1 million cash, Oct. 11, 2023 ($1.7649 billion annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
- Powerball: $621 million cash, Apr. 6, 2024 ($1.3259 billion annuity) - Oregon
- Powerball: $589 million cash, Sep. 3, 2025 ($1.3 billion annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $571.9 million cash, Dec. 27, 2024 ($1.269 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Mega Millions: $536.6 million cash, Mar. 26, 2024 ($1.128 billion annuity) - New Jersey
- 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: $425.2 million cash, Jan. 1, 2024 ($842.4 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
- Mega Millions: $404.2 million cash, Sep. 10, 2024 ($800 million annuity) - Texas
- 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
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 16
- Mega Millions: 9
Before draw on Wednesday it will be fourth Largest in Powerball history and before 9/11 it will make history over $2,000,000,000 😇🐬🐋🎊🐕🦺🦮✳️🌻
It might do it
any wagers on setting a new PB record ??
Billion dollars, I can get more puppies.
So the odds of me hitting this darn thing are basically going up against everyone breathing the United States. I'll never give up because I truly believe I'm going to win someday, I just don't know when. Like the famous quote I heard "Nothing Impossible, The Word Itself Says Im Possible"🎯
I bet one (3 day old, sitting in the sun outdoors) liverwurst sandwich with ....... that the PB jackpot will be won sometime between Wednesday and Christmas.
I bet one gallon of sour milk that I won't win MM on Tuesday.
Any takers?
ShagE3
🍕🍕 Good luck 🍀 to everyone on lottery post . This Wednesday the fireworks begins am dropping $250 bet 🤠🙏❤️❤️👌👌😎😎🏆🏆⏰⏰🍹🍹
With or without power play?
Not sure how much $$$$ I am gonna shell out but I'll be buying at least 7 tickets with power play. Now if I were more civilized I'd simply purchase one ticket but, hey I'm ShagE3 right?
Goodbye 1995 Honda Accord. Hello 2025 Porsche GT3
With Power Play if you have $2 or $4 left add regular play it's ok. But Power play is priority. How will you feel if you miss $2,000,000 win because of extra $1 you be depressed the rest of your life 🤠🙏. If all l have is $2 then l play $2 quick pick 😎
Powerball is slowly but surely making the new Mega Millions look like MEGACRAP
. Hopefully this will force them to rethink their over hyped strategy. More POWER to POWERBALL
.
Good luck to everyone tomorrow!
I Got This !!!
* This jackpot sunsets in CA. Come on home baby- 🤗
P.U.What Stinx?!?
I'll tell you what s t I n x!!!!
There is a RUMOR making the rounds like wildfire that I will win PB tomorrow ..... Just remember folks it's only a rumor .....and you'll be the last ones to find out if it's true or false.
Now back to my OLIVELOAF sandwich with .....
ShagE3
Jokepot = USD$1.3B
Jackpot = around USD$300M after tax present value
Just wanted to thank all of you for contributing to my newly developing retirement fund for tomorrow night.
Had to refigure my non profit donations again. That's getting a bit old, so it's just time to win.
Best of luck to all LP members.
Best of luck to you and all LP players, if you win will you get me another Puppy?
Isn't 1 of those lawn decorators enough??
if I win I'll send you 6 pack of mini black panthers LOL
How are sales, will it roll over?
You just jinxed yourself.
LOL Zeus needs a companion , one with high energy .
One will be fine.
Powerball Sales for 09/01/25: $222,944,156
Powerball Sales for 08/30/25: $233,733,034 <<= the jackpot reached the psychological $1 Billion mark
Powerball Sales for 08/27/25 $112,197,304
my pick: 1-2-3-4-5 / 6 <= the system wouldn't know
"How are sales, will it roll over? "
I'm wondering if there's any chance that sales today have been lower than expected, because I was sure we'd see an updated jackpot this afternoon. Their own, and presumably conservative, sales estimate is for 112 million tickets which would add about $75 million cash and increase the annuity by $165 million. Saturday's drawing ended at about $544 million cash and $1.201 billion for the annuity. That means their sales estimate puts tomorrow's jackpot at $619 million cash and $1.366 billion. I would have figured bumping the advertised jackpot to 1.35 would be a no brainer and 1.375 a pretty safe bet. Maybe they decided they'll go with a single, and more accurate, update tomorrow.
Based on the estimate of 112 million tickets there's a hair over a 2 in 3 chance of a rollover. If sales are 150 million (which seems like a fairly safe bet) the chance will be a hair under 60%.
I think that when it's this high of an jackpot ....there would be unnecessary criticism from some quarters of the population that it isn't right to stoke up the public into a frenzy over 100 or 200 mil.
I buy 1 ticket for every $100million of cash value. I have 5 tickets for tomorrow night. If it breaks $600million, I might have to get more!
Good discipline .....
I'm somewhat similar but I don't start buying tickets until the annuity is 250.
This is a lot a, lot a, lot a, lot a money. May the winner be wise, conservative, generous, caring, never arrogant and may they enjoy life to the fullest!!!!!
Thank you so very much, I am one such person, wise, conservative, generous, caring, never arrogant and planning to enjoy life to the fullest 🙏
Most importantly, I remembered to buy my tickets for the draw 😁
You're very welcome... I'm sure all on this site feel the same.
Of course the system would not know if you picked the numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6. You definitely would not get much money if by some miracle the numbers hit because about 10K people a day play 1-2-3-4-5-6. This reminds me of the TV show Lost. When the fans of that show played Hurley's lottery numbers of 4-8-15-16-23-42 in the ($355M) Mega Millions drawing in 2011 and hit 4 out of the 6 numbers and 26K people won $150.
Not many second place prize winners in MM recently since the game changes. I also haven't yet noticed a $10 million winner.
Good luck to all tonight 🍀
good luck to all hope its not californa too
Let's go
Tonight's jackpot is now $1.4 Billion, with a cash option of $634.3 Million.
Back to refiguring my non profit donations once again....Lotta stress
Good luck to all LP members that are participating in tonights draw.
The jackpot is now 1.4 Billion, with a 634.3 Cash level.
This suggests sales of $425M and 212.5 tickets.
The probability of different numbers of winners, including no winners is shown in the following table:
This is based on the Poisson distribution.
I'm off to get another ticket since cash is above $600million now!
So there's a 46.94% chance no winners?
If multiple winners will be Florida NY and Cali in it for sure
Yes, by crude statistics. It is the most likely single outcome, but overall the higher probability is that there will be one or more winners. If there is or are (a) winners, the most probable number of winners is one winner.
watch it be hit tonight or Saturday in an anonymous state ROFL
best of luck to all this evening
Me.
In Texas.
Anonymous state.
Anyone can see a Gulfstream G650 in their future?
Good luck 🤞 🤞 🤞 🤞 🤞 to all
THERE....Solved that lil shopping spree.
Yes, by crude statistics. It is the most likely single outcome, but overall the higher probability is that there will be one or more winners. If there is or are (a) winners, the most probable number of winners is one winner.
There is a higher probability that a player with a liverwurst sandwich in hand will win the jackpot than a player with an OLIVELOAF sandwich.
ShagE3
"there would be unnecessary criticism from some quarters of the population that it isn't right to stoke up the public into a frenzy over 100 or 200 mil.
They're already trying to stoke the frenzy by inflating the actual jackpot by 120% wit the annuity. Advertising 1.4 instead of 1.3 billion will sell more tickets, and criticism about lower revenues is the only criticism they really care about. That said, I'm sure they don't want to step in it like MM did back in 2018 when they advertised 1.6 billion and only managed 1.54, but they knew by drawing time on Monday that the chance of missing 1.4 was extremely small, and that 1.35 was an absolute certainty.
I've got no idea why they waited, other than possibly wanting to only have one fairly accurate bump, but I'm sure it's not because some quarters might criticize an advertisement that's realistic (at least in terms of the annuity value).
"This suggests sales of $425M and 212.5 tickets. "
Did you miss the memo about the final tally on Monday? It finished at a hair over 1.2 billion, and about $544 million cash. That means they're advertising a cash increase of about $90 million which now requires about 134.5 million tickets. Their sales forecast is for $280 million, or 140 million tickets, and they're forecasting a supported of annuity of 1.411 billion. I'm guessing 150 to 160 million tickets is closer to actual sales by tonight, so roughly 58 to 60% chance of a rollover. If it does get hit the chance of a single winner is roughly 3 in 4.
It's going to go to a minimum of $2 Billion. They need to build up the Jackpot frenzy in order to increase MM sales. Then they will do again for the holidays.
Slow ur roll, let us not have a winner tonight then maybe $1.6bil, no Saturday winner then maybe $1.850 bil
Yes you are right !
Mega Million group is pocketing all the money, no one has come as a big winner with Mega Million, everyone is running to buy Power ball lottery tickets !
MM need not have raised the ticket price to $5
Yes, MM should rethink going back to the old format. No shame in admitting that you made a big mistake.
From what I've found in my research, there are only two states, WY and TX, that allow a winner to remain BOTH anonymous and pay no state taxes. That's the best of both worlds.
I'm still driving a VW bug from the early 1970s in well maintained condition. It's not likely I'll want to buy a Ferrari...😂
Washington has no sales tax and you can claim through trust or llc. They'll release the trust or llc details if requested but you'd just form the llc in Delaware to keep anonymity. Same situation with Florida.