The Powerball lottery game has reached a staggering $1.4 billion jackpot, the third-largest in U.S. history, after no one matched all six numbers in the 33rd consecutive drawing on Wednesday night.
How to Play and Win the Powerball?
The Powerball is a multi-state lottery game that is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
To play, players must choose five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. They can also add a Power Play option for an extra $1 per play, which can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9. The jackpot starts at $20 million and increases by at least $10 million every rollover until someone wins.
The jackpot winner can choose to receive the prize as an annuity, which pays out the full amount over 30 years, or as a lump sum, which pays out about half of the advertised amount in cash.
What Happened in the Last Drawing?
The last drawing on Wednesday, Oct. 4, had the winning numbers 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1. The Power Play multiplier was 2X.
No one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, which was worth $1.2 billion at the time. However, there were 10 tickets that matched five numbers and won $1 million each. Two of them were from California and will receive $1,220,123 each due to the state’s pari-mutuel system.
Three of the second-prize tickets were purchased with the Power Play option and doubled their prizes to $2 million. They were sold in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Texas.
There were also 116 tickets that matched four numbers and the Powerball and won $50,000 each. Of these, 22 had the Power Play and won $100,000 each.
In total, there were more than 5.6 million winning tickets across all prize tiers in the last drawing.
What to Expect in the Next Drawing?
The next drawing will be on Saturday, Oct. 7, and the jackpot will be an estimated $1.4 billion, with a cash value of $643.7 million. This is the third-largest jackpot in Powerball history and the fifth-largest in U.S. lottery history.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever was $2.04 billion in November 2022, which was split by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee. The second-largest was $1.586 billion in January 2016, which was shared by three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee as well.
The largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever was $2.05 billion in Mega Millions in October 2022, which was won by a single ticket in South Carolina.
If no one wins the jackpot on Saturday, it will continue to grow until someone does. The next drawing after that will be on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
How to Buy Tickets Online?
One of the reasons why the Powerball jackpot has been growing so fast this year is that more players are able to buy tickets online through authorized retailers or lottery apps.
According to a survey by Lottery.com, online ticket sales have increased by more than 300% since January 2023 compared to the same period last year.
Online ticket sales are available in nine states: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Virginia. They are also available in Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and New York City.
To buy tickets online, players must register with an authorized retailer or app and verify their identity and location. They can then choose their numbers or use a quick pick option and pay with a debit card or bank transfer.
Online ticket sales close at different times depending on the state or jurisdiction. Players should check with their local lottery for more details.
Players who buy tickets online will receive an email confirmation with their ticket details and can view their tickets on their account or app. They will also receive an email notification if they win a prize.
Online ticket buyers are still subject to the same rules and regulations as in-person ticket buyers. They must be at least 18 years old and physically located in a state or jurisdiction where online ticket sales are legal.
They are also responsible for paying any taxes or fees associated with their winnings and claiming their prizes according to their local lottery’s procedures.
