At $815 million, the latest Powerball jackpot is shaping up to be one of the largest in history, according to the Multi State Lottery Association. A winner could be chosen during the drawing this Wednesday.
Powerball is a lottery game played in 45 states as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, with more than half of the proceeds going to local jurisdictions. In November 2022 the largest ever jackpot of $2.04 billion was awarded to Edwin G. Castro in California and the latest Powerball winner from around three months ago was also from California. Since the first Powerball drawing in 1992, five prizes have reached over $1 billion.
Those who buy one of the $2 Powerball tickets this week have a one in 292.2 million chance of winning the big prize. They also have a one in 24.9 chance of winning any prizes. For example, even though no ticket matched all six numbers drawn this Monday (16, 19, 34, 37, 64 on the white balls and red Powerball 22), players in Georgia and Texas won $1 million prizes for matching the white balls. Another 26 tickets won $50,000 and five tickets won $150,000 prizes.
With the Double Play drawing that multiplies prizes for a $1 add-on fee, a ticket in Maryland won a $500,000 prize after matching all five black balls. That was a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million.
If there is a Powerball jackpot winner this Wednesday, their prize would be the seventh largest Powerball win in history, with an actual cash value of $367.9 million. That’s if the ticket holder chooses a lump-sum payment – they could also choose an annuitized prize with payments spread over 29 years. Both options are calculated before taxes.
People can tune in to the live Powerball broadcast Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET, coming from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Fla. These broadcasts are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at the same time and they are streamed live at Powerball.com.
While winning the jackpot would be a welcome event for many, Powerball players should be warned that it won’t get them out of charges if they run afoul of the law. Earlier this year, KDKA reported on the case of a Powerball winner who was arrested for allegedly kicking a law enforcement officer in the face.