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 $1.25 billion.
The Powerball jackpot has been building for a record 43 consecutive drawings since the last winner on September 6, when two tickets sold in Missouri and Texas split a $1.7874 billion jackpot. Both tickets have been claimed: the Missouri winner is a self-described homebody and the Texas portion was claimed by a trust.
Monday night when there were no Powerball jackpot winners, the new jackpot for Wednesday's drawing was estimated at $1.25 billion, with a lump-sum cash option of $572.1 million. More than a half-billion dollars in cash!
For the 7th time in history, a Powerball jackpot has reached $1 billion. It is the 11th-largest lottery jackpot in US history, and the 11th-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 $1.1 billion, but by the time all the proceeds were counted just before draw-time, the jackpot had swelled to $1.1464 billion — an increase of more than $46 million. Likewise, the cash option was estimated at $503.4 million, but was adjusted to $524.7 million based on actual ticket sales.
The winning numbers for Monday, December 15, 2025 were 23, 35, 59, 63, and 68, with Powerball number 2. The Power Play number was 4.
The Monday Double Play drawing results were 20, 23, 38, 42, and 65, with Powerball number 19. Double Play is a game option currently available in 25 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, 2 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Arizona and 1 from California. (The California winner will claim a prize of $708,443, due to the state's pari-mutuel payout formula.)
None of the second-prize tickets was purchased with the Power Play option, which would have doubled their prize to $2 million if they purchased the $1 option.
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, 57 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 14 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $200,000, and 8 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $22,670 this drawing.
Following the Monday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $103.6 million from its previous amount of $1.1464 billion and the cash value was raised by $47.4 million from its previous amount of $524.7 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 11th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 6th-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: $1.7874 billion, Sep. 6, 2025 (41 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Missouri, Texas
- 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
- Mega Millions: $1.269 billion, Dec. 27, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $1.25 billion, Dec. 17, 2025 (43 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- 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
- Mega Millions: $983 million, Nov. 14, 2025 (39 rollovers, starting at $50 million) - Georgia
- 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
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 11th-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
- Powerball: $820.6 million cash, Sep. 6, 2025 ($1.7874 billion annuity) - Missouri, Texas
- 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: $572.1 million cash, Dec. 17, 2025 ($1.25 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
- Mega Millions: $453.6 million cash, Nov. 14, 2025 ($983 million annuity) - Georgia
- 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
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
My Jackpot Grows Nicely.
What percentage of possible ticket combinations will be sold for Wednesday’s draw?
11. Powerball: $1.25 billion, Dec. 17, 2025 (43 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
11. Powerball: $1.25 billion, Dec. 17, 2025 (43 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Tennessee
There.....Fixed it !!!
Goodbye 1995 Honda Accord. Hello 2026 Maserati
Goodbye Kraft Mac & Cheese. Hello Annie's
I am reliably informed that, ShagE3 did finally say goodbye to the OLIVELOAF and LIVERWURST sandwhich.
Not sure what's on the diet now 🤣🤣
Very Funny. I'm getting new everything!!
would have been great bday present.
oh well
If I win, I'm gonna get new tires for my 1972 VW bug and cruise the blvd.....veroom.....😂
Interesting that cash and annuity are both #11 at the moment. The annuity will almost certainly move up to at least the #10 spot and has a reasonable chance to move up as high as #7. There's a good chance for the cash value to move up one spot, but pretty much zero chance of moving up to #9.
"What percentage of possible ticket combinations will be sold for Wednesday’s draw? "
Their first forecast is for 23.2% but it's going to be higher than that. I don't know if they'd bump the jackpot today even if sales already made it clear that it would be good bit more than 1.25B, but I'll be surprised if we don't see a bump by about noon (eastern) tomorrow. I think we should see at least 1.3B tomorrow night and 1.35 or even 1.4 is possible if we finally get the sales bump that showed up sooner on the previous run. I'll figure there's about a 2 in 3 chance for a roll, but it's a pretty loose guess.
"Goodbye Kraft Mac & Cheese. Hello Annie's "
Somebody's dreaming big. Are you sure the jackpot can support a habit like that?
Whenever the jackpot is won, I think there will be multiple winners...
As for me I'm gonna load up on "My Grandma's of New England" coffee cakes. If you haven't had one, then you don't know what your missing.
Gourmet and they cost way too much as far as coffee cake's are concerned. But they're dee-lish and after winning the jackpot you'll be able to afford them! G5
I think it will be Michigan, trying to talk hubby into another dog,
millions would work .
A new transmission could be in my future
With that sorta pot, any new vehicle you want!
Right now after losing more than I spent ... .I think I'm only having peanuts.
Have a shaggy day!
ShagE
Thanx to all who responded to my question yesterday...
Thanx 4 the cash over annuity recommendation when your past your 30s 40s . I concur if I were younger I'd go for the annuity ....
Does anyone have inside info on the new millionaire for life game starting next year? What id like to know is will there still be a minimum 20 years on the annuity and will there still be a cash option? Just curious - but at $5 a ticket I'll only play once a week if even that ..... and that will be when pb and or mm are less than 250 mil. Gotta set your parameters these days .... gone is the dollar and a dream.
Have a shaggy day!
ShagE3
Happy Birthday 🎈🎉🎊🎁🎂
(In my world you get an entire month to celebrate!)
Will it be a female actress "winning" or a male actor? I vote female!!!
I want YOLANDA VEGA back to announce huge jackpots. Just looked her info; five days older than me. Good people, Sagittarians and double nickel babies.
Apologies if this has been answered in some recent comments, but what accounts for the disparity in number of rollovers vs jackpot size? From the above list, that record jackpot of over $2B was achieved with 40 rollovers, whereas the current smaller jackpot of $1.25B has taken an extra 3 rollovers. Is it just the volume of tickets sold for this current cycle is less than previous, hence a lower jackpot amount?
Thank you for the update.
That's a healthy choice.
I can have peanuts and cashew nuts anytime.
Good luck on future draws.
Haven't heard about this one
tell me more
I really could use the money right now.
"I think there will be multiple winners. "
As long as they've sold two or more tickets there's a chance of multiple winners, but the chance is pretty low until sales get pretty big. Actual sales will be higher, but the initial estimate is for about 77.25 million tickets. For that many tickets, if they were all chosen randomly, the chance of any number of winners is 23.23%. The chance of a single winner is 22.21% so if the jackpot is hit there's a 95.6% chance of a single winner. There's a 2.68% chance of 2 winners and a 0.24% chance of 3.
Again, if all tickets were chosen randomly and as a purely probabilistic model, there have to be 367,130,922 million tickets in play before multiple winners become more likely than a single winner. Of course not all tickets are chosen randomly. People playing calendar numbers or patterns means that there will be more repeated combinations than an entirely random selection. That reduces the chance of any winners most of the time, but if the winning numbers have a bunch of calendar numbers or match a pattern the chance of multiple winners goes up.
"A new transmission could be in my future "
"Is it just the volume of tickets sold for this current cycle is less than previous, hence a lower jackpot amount? "
Almost yes. Interest rates also vary, so the exact same number of tickets would usually result in annuities of different sizes. That 2.04B jackpot was based on investing $997.6 million at the then available interest rate. The current rate is higher, so an advertised jackpot of 2.04B will have a lower cash value of only $933.64 million. If the cash value this time around reaches $997.6 million the advertised annuity, if the interest rate doesn't change, will be $2,179,756,000. If we still had the rates that gave us the 2.04B record the current advertised annuity would be 1.17B.
Let's say I win the jackpot on the next draw.
I take the cash option and walk away with $360M and some change
I put it all in a 12 month T bill at 3.4% PA
After taxes I have $7.7M.
Now the question is what do I do with $7.7M in 2026.
The interest is an insane amount of money.
One thing I know I would do is travel, travel, travel - all the 7 continents would be on my list.
I think I would buy an RV and hit the road.
Ooh if only my QP numbers come up 🙏
it better not be fixed or better not be califorina think lottery hypes it up so you go out buy more tickets it only takes one!
It only takes 1 but some have won purchasing 4,5 100
depends on ur budget
remember guy spent $90+ using chef from buying a hot dog
so I have learned to save $20 month
by the next billion for MM in March, I shld hv enough for 4-6 draws after ur reach 900mil
humm
am so tired, I would rest for a week
let 1-2 family members know but don't quit ur job at all
in GA, luv Dallas, TX n Las Vegas
not sure where I would hv a home
Best of luck to all that play! It would be fantastic if someone from this amazing group won going into Christmas and the new year ahead!
A nice day for a change so we walked. On the way home stopped @ the store end of the road. A rescue ticket was waiting to be purchased....$90 one. No PP/DP. Cashier really screwed that up. Had no money and no purchase even if I had!
Something still don't feel right , especially this close to Christmas
but its still only $2 and a bunch of crazy dreams ... right !?
I guarantee somebody from Cali is winning tonight uggggggg
i rebuke, the winnings just started to spread to other states
The Poisson distribution for the probability for various numbers of winners, based on the estimated sales posted on the Texas Lottery website, $166,593,667, is as follows:
Sales of course, may ultimately be higher, in which case, the probability of a single winner or multiple winners at each level will go up and the probability of no winner, 0, will go down.
Good luck to everyone tonight!
Hey y'all,
Should one of you win tonight congratulations!
May you do good with the prize and have fun doing it.
Also .... may you and your family and friends be protected from evildoers.
May you seek wise advice
May you take a breath (like a few months worth at least) before you make your claim.
May you not go overboard on unhealthy food ..... like oliveloaf and liverwurst.
May you stay humble.
May you remember from whence you came.
May you still look for bargains when shopping.
When you do good for others may you remain anonymous and not seek accolades.
And last .... .. should you want to shell over some $$$$ to old ShagE3 I'll be at the agreed upon rendezvous location tomorrow. Only kidding. Only kidding.
Have a shaggy day!
ShagE3
Gotta feeling it's gonna hit tonight
I didn't win anything, but the tickets were paid from Monday's winnings.
Me $8
Spent $12......Won $4.....
You won a third back, not bad.
Almost 1:30am in the east wheres the official results? What state is holding it up again> It better not be minne-soda again. It's soda not pop.
Yeah they're taking their sweet time tonight....