Powerball Jackpot Reaches $800 Million, Second-Largest in Its History

Saturday’s Powerball will be the second-highest drawing in its history, with an estimated jackpot of $800 million up for grabs.

According to the non-profit Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which runs Powerball, there have been 36 consecutive drawings where no one has matched all six numbers to win the grand prize. A winning Pennsylvania lottery ticket claimed the last jackpot, following the drawing on August 3, 2022.

The jackpot is expected to continue growing through Saturday and exceed $800 million, as interest in the contest grows and more people purchase tickets for the drawing. Regardless, the next drawing is unlikely to dethrone the current top Powerball jackpot of all time — $1.586 billion, which was drawn on January 13, 2016, and split between winners in California, Florida, and Tennessee.

Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states. In Delaware, for example, it is overseen by the Delaware Lottery. Tickets are also sold in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

“We’re excited to offer our Delaware players a record jackpot that has reached the $800 million mark,” Delaware Lottery Director Helene Keeley told US Gaming Review.

“Delaware hasn’t had a Powerball jackpot win in some time, so a winner from Delaware would be great. And as always, we like to remind our players to play responsibly.”

MUSL said Saturday’s Powerball drawing will also be the fifth-largest prize in US lottery history. “If a player wins Saturday’s jackpot, it will be the sixth time the Powerball jackpot has been hit this year,” the association said.

Although the current jackpot is $800 million, winners have the option to receive their winnings in one lump sum payment — for this drawing, that would be approximately $383.7 million. Otherwise, the jackpot is paid in an annuity paid over a 29-year period. Most winners choose the lump sum payment option.

At the rate the current jackpot is growing, it could become the highest jackpot in Powerball history if no one wins Saturday’s drawing and the suspense continues into next week. It will likely require at least two rollovers to beat the $1.586 billion mark.

The odds of winning the grand prize are 1-in-292.2 million. The overall odds of winning a prize in Powerball are 1-in-24.9.

Bigger, Faster Jackpots Since Third Drawing Added

In August 2021, the MUSL added a third weekly drawing for Powerball. At the time, the association’s Powerball Product Group projected that adding a drawing on Monday evenings would result in larger, faster-growing jackpots.

The strategy worked. Since adding the third weekly drawing on August 23, 2021, three of the top 10 Powerball jackpots of all time have been (or soon will be) drawn.

A drawing on October 4, 2021, resulted in a $699.8 million jackpot for Scott Godfrey, a resident of California. At the time, the prize ranked as the fifth-highest Powerball jackpot of all time, but Saturday’s drawing bumped it down to sixth.

Two winning tickets split the $632.6 million jackpot that was drawn on January 5, 2022. A married couple from Wisconsin, Cliff and Tammy Webster, shared the prize with a man from California, Orlando Zavala Lozano. It originally ranked as the seventh-highest Powerball jackpot but has now slipped to eighth.

Top 10 Powerball Jackpots