Powerball Jackpot Grows To $364 Million, Largest It’s Been Since April

The Powerball jackpot continues to swell. And in the midst of a year that has seen the jackpot hit and reset seven times, it is now the richest it’s been in more than six months.

No one took home the big prize in Wednesday’s drawing, which pushes Saturday night’s draw to an estimated $364 million, with a cash value of $179 million.

The last time the Powerball jackpot was higher than this was back on April 6, when Cheng “Charlie” Saephan and friends hit it for a whopping $1.3 billion.

Although the jackpot rolls over heading into the weekend, Wednesday night’s numbers — 25, 32, 43, 53, and 66 with a red Powerball of 10 — did yield a pair of “Match 5” winners, in California and Pennsylvania, with each of those ticket holders taking home an even $1 million.

Lottery Geeks estimates roughly 13.6 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.

Saturday’s drawing will be the 24th since the last jackpot was claimed.

Mega Millions on the rise too

Meanwhile in Mega Millions land, no one hit the jackpot Tuesday night, pushing Friday’s night’s grand prize to $150 million, with a $71 million cash option. The Mega Millions streak now stands at eight drawings since the last winner was crowned.

The winning numbers from the Tuesday drawing — 3, 19, 20, 22, and 66, with a gold Mega Ball of 9 — did result in one lucky player from California matching all five white balls to win $1 million.

Lottery Geeks estimates nearly 12 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s draw.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering a multiplier option (Megaplier for Mega Millions, Power Play for Powerball) for an additional $1.

Both lotteries are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while in Puerto Rico, 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. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California

And here’s 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. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $558.1 million, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California