New Jersey Player Wins Second-Biggest Powerball Jackpot of 2026, Ninth Largest Ever

The possibility of back-to-back billion-dollar Powerball runs is off the table — which is bad news for millions of lottery players, but exceptionally good news for one ticket-buyer in New Jersey.

A ticket sold in the Garden State connected with all six numbers drawn Wednesday, good for an estimated jackpot of $847 million, or $363.1 million if the person holding that ticket goes the lump-sum route instead of breaking the winnings into 30 annuity payments.

After a player in Illinois hit a $1.04 billion jackpot on Aug. 12, Powerball went through 35 straight draws without a grand prize winner and was probably about a week away from crossing the billion-dollar threshold again. Instead, someone claimed the second-largest Powerball jackpot of the year and the ninth largest of all time. The Aug. 12 win sits at eighth on the all-time list.

“Back-to-back jackpot runs resulting in prizes of this magnitude are a testament to the excitement Powerball generates,” said Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery, in a press release Thursday morning. “We’re thrilled to celebrate another life-changing win and congratulate the lucky ticket holder.”

Wednesday’s winning numbers were white balls 15, 34, 41, 53, and 56 and red Powerball 21. The jackpot winner was the only player to win $1 million or more, as nobody hit the Match 5 (everything but the red Powerball). Four players did manage to take down $100,000 scores by pairing everything but one white ball while purchasing the Power Play multiplier.

Lottery Geeks estimates 27 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.

The jackpot now resets to $20 million for Saturday night.

The spotlight shifts to Mega Millions

Just like that, Mega Millions becomes the top lottery prize in the land — and it’s a big one. The jackpot crossed a half-billion bucks after Tuesday’s rollover, with the estimate at $505 million (cash option: $213.3 million) for Friday’s drawing.

This marks the third time in 2026 the jackpot has surpassed $500 million. Only three Mega Millions jackpots have come in through the first 10 months of 2026, the most recent in Florida on July 28 for $803 million.

Tuesday’s winning numbers were 4, 24, 31, 62, and 70 with gold Mega Ball 3, and nobody connected for anything above $50,000. Lottery Geeks estimates some 6.9 million tickets were sold for that drawing.

Tickets for Mega Millions cost $5 and Powerball tickets cost $2. Most states offer the multiplier option for Powerball, which impacts any prize won except the jackpot, for an additional $1. Mega Millions comes with an automatic multiplier for any prize except the jackpot.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico and the U.K., customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.82 billion, Powerball, Dec. 24, 2025, won in Arkansas
3. $1.79 billion, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
4. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
5. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
6. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
7. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
8. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
10. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon

Here is the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $834.9 million, Powerball, Dec. 24, 2025, won in Arkansas
5. $820.6 million, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
6. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
7. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
9. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
10. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine