Wednesday Powerball Jackpot Bumped To An Even $1 Billion

For the eighth time in Powerball history, the jackpot is joining the three-comma club. The Multi-State Lottery Association announced Tuesday that, for Wednesday night’s drawing, the estimated jackpot will be an even $1,000,000,000.

After nobody claimed the grand prize Monday night when the jackpot climbed to an estimated $905 million, the initial estimate for Wednesday was set at $975 million. But “after reviewing final ticket sales from Monday night’s Powerball drawing,” as the press release explained, the estimate was adjusted upward to $1 billion, with a lump-sum cash option of $433.1 million.

Just how strong were those Monday sales? Powerball doesn’t release official numbers, but Lottery Geeks estimated 47.7 million tickets were purchased — an 82% increase over our estimates for the previous Monday. And Powerball officials say it was actually a slightly larger increase than that.

“The growth of this jackpot reflects an extraordinary level of player interest,” Powerball Product Group Chair and Kansas Lottery Executive Director Stephen Durrell said in a release. “Ticket sales for last night’s drawing exceeded expectations and increased more than 86% compared to the previous Monday drawing. We’re also continuing to see strong participation from both new players in the United Kingdom and millions of Americans who join in as the jackpot reaches the $1 billion mark.”

Three new millionaires

On winning numbers Monday of 6, 37, 54, 55, 64, and red Powerball 10, although nobody went six-for-six to claim the jackpot, a ticket bought in Tennessee was worth $2 million and there were $1 million tickets purchased in Maryland and California.

Wednesday’s drawing will be the 44th since someone last claimed the jackpot, which was on May 2. That time around, two players — one in Florida and another in Texas — punched the winning numbers and split the $20 million prize.

Mega Millions, meanwhile, is worth an estimated $80 million up top (cash option: $34.4 million) in Tuesday night’s 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