Winning Powerball Ticket Worth One Third Of Juan Soto’s Contract Sold In New York

Juan Soto, with his new $765 million contract, isn’t the only person in New York to hit the jackpot over the weekend, as a single ticket sold in the Empire State hit the $256 million Powerball jackpot Saturday night.

The winning numbers — 1, 31, 43, 55, and 57 with a red Powerball of 22 — proved very lucky for one customer, marking the ninth Powerball jackpot hit in 2024 and the first in New York state since 2020.

The winner now faces the choice of annuity vs. cash. If they choose annuity, they get one payment ASAP followed by 29 more over the next 29 years, with each year’s haul increasing by 5%. If they choose cash, it’s one lump-sum payment, before taxes, of $123.5 million.

We don’t know anything yet about the winner’s identity, but we do know the ticket was sold at a Hua Lian Supermarket in Flushing, Queens, not far at all from Soto’s new home, Citi Field.

Lottery Geeks estimates 14.1 million tickets were sold for the drawing, and while the big prize was hit, no one else hit the Match 5 (pairing the five white balls but not the red Powerball) so no other millionaires were minted — besides Mr. Soto who was, technically speaking, already a millionaire, but A) let’s not dither over details and B) Let’s Go Mets!

Here’s the list of this year’s Powerball winners to date:

• Jan. 1 — $842.4 million, Michigan
• April 6 — $1.326 billion, Oregon
• May 6 — $214.9 million, Florida
• June 10 — $226.6 million, New Jersey
• July 3 — $139.3 million, Ohio
• Aug. 12 — $213.8 million, Pennsylvania
• Aug. 19 — $44.3 million, California
• Oct. 23 — $478.2 million, Georgia
• Dec. 7 — $256 million, New York

The next Powerball drawing is Monday night, and it’s back to the start at a $20 million jackpot.

Mega Millions roars on

While the Powerball jackpot was the big news over the weekend, buckle up, because Mega Millions is getting into very serious territory.

Nobody won last Friday, making Tuesday’s jackpot an eye-opening estimated $619 million. If somebody takes it home, it will be the seventh largest jackpot haul in Mega Millions history.

Friday’s numbers — 16, 21, 33, 39, and 45, with a gold Mega Ball of 24 — saw no one match all five white balls, which means nobody won a million dollars. The largest prize won was $20,000.

Lottery Geeks estimates 29 million tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option for an additional $1.

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. $1.13 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