The Powerball jackpot has surged to an estimated $1.23 billion after Wednesday night’s lottery drawing failed to produce a grand prize winner.
Wednesday’s winning numbers were: 11, 62, 65, 38, 41, and Powerball 15.
For the upcoming Powerball drawing on Saturday night, the lucky winner will have the option to receive the prize in annuitized payments or opt for a lump sum estimated at $595.1 million.
With no tickets matching all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing, the jackpot soared from $1.09 billion to $1.23 billion, making it the fourth largest jackpot in Powerball history. This places it as the eighth largest US lottery jackpot, surpassing the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in New Jersey last week.
Although there were no grand prize winners on Wednesday, nine players matched five of the numbers, securing $1 million prizes each. These tickets were sold in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Washington.
According to Powerball, this recent streak without a jackpot winner is one of the game’s longest.
It has been three months since Powerball’s grand prize was last claimed. The last winning ticket, worth $842.4 million, was sold in Michigan on New Year’s Day. Since then, there have been 40 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.
If Saturday’s drawing still yields no jackpot winner, it will tie for the most consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner in Powerball history.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever won was $2.04 billion by a ticket purchased in California in November 2022. This is followed by jackpots of $1.765 billion (one ticket in California, 2023); $1.586 billion (three tickets, 2016); and $1.08 billion (one ticket in California, 2023).
To win the Powerball jackpot, a ticket must match all five white balls plus the red Powerball. The odds of winning any prize in a Powerball drawing are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to the lottery.
Powerball tickets are priced at $2 per play and are available for purchase in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. ET in Tallahassee, Florida.