Powerball Soars To 10th Largest American Jackpot Ever

Things are getting serious in Powerball land as Wednesday night’s drawing is for an estimated $1.25 billion. That’s enough money to do about whatever you darn well please.

This drawing will be the (record) 44th since the last time someone hit the Powerball jackpot, on Sept. 6 when a pair of tickets — one in Missouri and the other in Texas — split a $1.787 billion prize.

Should someone win Wednesday’s drawing, it will be the 10th largest jackpot score in American history.

And while nobody won the top prize Monday night, a pair of ticket holders — one in California, the other Arizona — hit all five white balls for the Match 5 prize of $1 million each.

The numbers in question? They were 23, 35, 59, 63, 68, and a red Powerball of 2.

Lottery Geeks estimates nearly 57 million tickets were sold for Monday night’s drawing.

“Powerball has only seen back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots twice, and this one has arrived just in time for the holidays,” Matt Strawn, Iowa Lottery CEO and Powerball product group chair, said in a press release. “While it’s exciting to see the jackpot climb to this level, please remember to play responsibly.”

The only other time the Powerball game created back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots was in 2023, when a $1.08 prize was won on July 19, followed by a $1.765 billion jackpot won on Oct. 11. Both jackpots were hit by players in California.

If a winning ticket is sold and the lump sum payment is chosen, the winner will walk away with $572.1 million in cash.

Mega creeps up

Nobody won Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing — numbers 20, 24, 46, 59, 65, and a gold Mega Ball of 7 — making Friday’s top prize a rather paltry $90 million, comparatively speaking. 

Nobody matched all five white balls, and Lottery Geeks estimates 6.6 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s draw.

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, 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. $1.79 billion, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
3. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
4. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
6. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
7. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
8. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
9. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California

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. $820.6 million, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
5. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
6. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
7. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
8. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
9. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
10. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon