Powerball Jackpot Hits $1 Billion Mark For Saturday Night’s Drawing

Everyone do their best impersonation of actor Mike Myers as Dr. Evil. Saturday night’s Powerball jackpot is up to … one billion dollars.

That’s billion, with a “b.” As in, “Boy oh boy, you can do whatever you want with the rest of your life if you win this money.”

That’s an estimated figure, but it’s bound to be more by the time the drawing occurs.

By the way, here at Lottery Geeks, our favorite way to discuss the difference between a million and a billion is this:

A million seconds — ticks of a clock — will take a little over 11 days. So think of it this way: Someone gives you a dollar a second, and in 11-odd days you’ll be a millionaire.

A billion seconds? Try nearly 32 years. Inhale that. It would take nearly 32 years, at a dollar a second, to become a billionaire.

So yeah. There’s a little bit of a difference there.

As it stands now, if someone were to win Saturday night, it would be the sixth largest Powerball jackpot ever and the 13th largest American lottery jackpot in history. Should no one win, it’s very likely the Monday jackpot will move into the top 10 of all time, with No. 10 currently a $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot.

At any rate, nobody won Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, which was the 38th in a row without a grand prize winner. The numbers were 9, 12, 22, 41, 61, and a red Powerball of 25. 

The Power Play came in at 2x Wednesday, meaning three people who matched all five white balls and sprung for the multiplier — one each in Mississippi, Ohio, and Virginia — won $2 million apiece.

Meanwhile, three others — one each in Arizona, New York, and Virginia –—matched all five white balls without the multiplier, good for $1 million each.

Lottery Geeks estimates 56.2 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.

Mega is still here

Ah, yes, Mega Millions. It’s no slouch as Friday night’s drawing is for an estimated $277 million, which ain’t exactly chump change.

Nobody won Tuesday’s drawing — numbers 7, 12, 30, 40, 69, and a gold Mega Ball of 17 — though both a Florida and a Mississippi ticket-buyer hit all five white balls. One of the winners caught the 2x Megaplier, the other the 3x, for a $2 million and $3 million haul, respectively.

Lottery Geeks estimates 6.7 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s drawing.

Tickets for Mega Millions cost $5, while 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. $1.76 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. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

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. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California