7th-largest lottery jackpot in world history
By Todd Northrop
Last night, the multi-state Powerball lottery game produced no top winner for the 44th consecutive drawing, prompting lottery officials to raise the game's jackpot to an astonishing $1.5 billion.
A winner who chooses the cash option would receive a staggering lump-sum of $686.5 million.
It's the stuff that a lottery player's dreams are made of — holding a lottery ticket for an upcoming Powerball drawing with the potential to transform your life in every way.
Do you choose the annuity, which has an initial payment of $22.6 million and increases the payment every year until the final payment of $92.9 million in the 29th year, or do you opt for the lump-sum cash payment of $686.5 million all at once?
You can weigh the tax consequences of that choice state-by-state by visiting the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a website devoted to the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lottery games. 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.
The largest lottery jackpot ever awarded was on Nov. 7, 2022, when one Powerball ticket sold in California won a $2 billion grand prize. The incredibly lucky winner was Edwin Castro, who claimed the prize in February of 2023, providing minimal public information about himself. What little is known about Castro comes from public filings, and includes the purchases of houses one, two, and three, as well as being the subject of dubious lawsuits that are unfortunately predictable these days. (The lawsuit was thrown out last year.) One of those houses was destroyed in the 2025 Palisades fire, and Castro was later active in purchasing lots destroyed by the fire.
The rush of ticket sales over the next few days may propel the jackpot to an even higher amount before the drawing takes place Saturday. Lottery Post and USA Mega will update the jackpot tallies displayed if such an increase occurs.
The quickest way to find the winning numbers after the drawing Friday will be by visiting USA Mega (www.usamega.com) at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific), when the winning numbers will be published minutes after they are drawn.
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. 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.
The winning numbers for Wednesday, December 17, 2025 were 25, 33, 53, 62, and 66, with Powerball number 17. The Power Play number was 4.
The Wednesday Double Play drawing results were 24, 43, 65, 66, and 68, with Powerball number 3. 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 Wednesday, 8 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Arizona (with Power Play), 1 from Connecticut, 1 from Massachusetts (with Power Play), 3 from New York, 1 from Pennsylvania, and 1 from Tennessee.
Two of the second-prize tickets — those sold in Arizona and Massachusetts — were purchased with the Power Play option, doubling 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, as well as the official drawing videos, can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega. Lottery Post also publishes the complete list of Powerball Prize Payouts and the Powerball Double Play Prize Payouts.
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 Wednesday drawing, 86 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 13 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $18,887 this drawing.
Following the Wednesday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $233.3 million from its previous amount of $1.2667 billion and the cash value was raised by $106.8 million from its previous amount of $579.7 million.
For information about how these jackpot amounts are calculated, check out the Lottery Post feature video, How are lottery jackpots are calculated?
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 7th-largest lottery jackpot in world history, as well as the 5th-largest in game history. The ticket-buying frenzy that is happening this week may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time, and it may even rise in the historical rankings.
- 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
- Powerball: $1.5 billion, Dec. 20, 2025 (44 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- 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
- 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.
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
- 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: $686.5 million cash, Dec. 20, 2025 ($1.5 billion annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $621 million cash, Apr. 6, 2024 ($1.3259 billion annuity) - Oregon
- 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
i wasn't thinking about this. well lets see what happens. only the lottery knows when it will hit.
Wondering when MM will ever get pass 1.5 bil due to it increased to $5, people spend more at $2
imagine the possibilities !!
$686,500,000 Cash Value has such a nice ring to it. And that 1st payment Annuity figure of $22,577,153 isn't a bad number to start out at either. (tapping head like Winnie the Pooh) Which choice shall I make after Saturdays win
In a super groggy state around 3 a.m. kept asking Alexa what the PB jackpot was. Finally whipped out the phone and looked it up. She was right, mindset was the jackpot was $1.5 billion already and not all the states reported in and that Alexa was wrong.
Not one dollar here!
I hope it actually gets to $3 Billion so when I or someone hit it we can literally see someone walk away as a billionaire after cash option and taxes. That's what it's going to take. Everyone keep calling the record jackpot winner a billionaire and he's not. After winning the 2.034 Billion he ended up with $400 something million after taxes and everything and that great but in reality he's not a billionaire. Their level to this so I have a feeling it's going to break the California record and that when we will see things start getting interesting
You should get your facts straight first. He ended up with $620M+ after taxes.
CA doesn't tax lottery winnings.
I really need to hit his jackpot. My fave Lucky Charms 26 oz is 7 bucks and that just aint right.
would be interesting to see the PB set a new record
Correct as you can see in the original story about Castro claiming the prize, he got $628.5 million after taxes. (Link to that story is also included in the article above.)
Goodbye 1995 Honda Accord. Hello 2026 Bugatti
The Tourbillon or maybe the Brouillard ??? I am still a fan of the Chiron Supper Sport
"I hope it actually gets to $3 Billion so when I or someone hit it we can literally see someone walk away as a billionaire after cash option and taxes. "
It's not impossible, but it's going to take a lot more than $3 billion for that to happen unless interest rates go way down. Even if interest rates go way down it will still take the same amount of cash, and the same number of tickets without producing a winner sooner. With the current interest rate you'd net about 29% of the annuity value after paying 37% federal taxes on the cash. Right now that would leave you with $865 million if there's no state tax. If you also pay 6% state tax you'd net about 26%, so to finish with $1 billion you'd need to start with an advertised annuity of almost $4 billion.
About the only realistic chance of PB getting there starting from last night's rollover is making it a bit past $3 billion and then getting close enough to $4 billion on the next roll. To get to 3.3B requires another $928 million on top of last night's cash. That requires sales of close to 1.4 billion tickets. The chance of selling that many tickets without a winner is a bit less than 1%. If it lands on 3.7B a roll would presumably take it way past 4B, but that's another 250 million tickets and reduces the chances to about 0.37%, or slightly better than 1 in 300, after already rolling past 1.27B.
In the unlikely event it gets that big sales could be 500 million tickets or more. With 500 million tickets in play the chance of 1 winner is just over 31%, but the chance of multiple winners is almost 50%.
"would be interesting to see the PB set a new record "
It would be interesting to see PB set a new record that's real. That means a cash value of more than $997.6 million to bet Castro's prize. At the current interest rate that's 2.175 billion. If it gets to 2.05B PB will claim it's a new record, when it's almost $60 million (or 6%) shy of what Castro won.
Good luck everybody.