By Todd Northrop
By Saturday evening, the multi-state Powerball lottery jackpot will almost certainly become the largest US lottery jackpot since the game's monstrous $1.6 billion record in Jan. 2016.
In the ensuing 17 months, Powerball's high-water mark has reached $435.3 million — 4 months ago, on Feb. 22. (That jackpot was claimed anonymously by a man from Lafayette, Indiana.)
Now, after nobody won last night's $380.6 million grand prize, the initial estimate for Saturday's Powerball was set at $435 million. Since lotteries often are conservative with their initial estimates, the jackpot will almost certainly swell beyond that amount by the time all the proceeds are counted right before draw time.
For example, for the drawing last night, the initial estimate set after the previous drawing was $375 million, but by draw time the actual jackpot was adjusted upwards to $380.6 million.
The lump-sum cash payout value of Saturday's Powerball jackpot is $273.1 million — the 10th-largest ever recorded in United States lottery history. (See top 25 annuity and cash values below.)
Players looking to calculate what they would receive after the initial federal and state tax withholdings can find it all pre-calculated for each Powerball jurisdiction on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lottery games.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever awarded was on January 13, 2016, when three tickets from California, Florida, and Tennessee shared a $1.6 billion grand prize. The Florida and Tennessee winners claimed their prizes quickly, but the California winner waited about six months to claim their share.
Saturday's mammoth prize is the result of 19 consecutive draws without a winner. The run-up started as a $40 million prize on Apr. 5.
The winning numbers for Wednesday, Jun. 7, 2017 were 5, 21, 57, 66, and 69, with Powerball number 13. The Power Play number was 3.
Even though nobody won the jackpot Wednesday, 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from California, 1 from North Carolina, 1 from Pennsylvania, and 1 from Rhode Island.
Only the ticket sold in North Carolina was purchased with the Power Play option, doubling their prize to $2 million.
Power Play is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered in Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.
The California prize pool for second prize was a whopping $1,674,648 this drawing, and all that cash will go to the single ticket-holder who matched all five numbers in the state. Sometimes California's prize rules work against winners, but this time it most certainly worked in their favor.
Across the nation, 43 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 6 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $150,000, and 5 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $22,157 this drawing.
Following the Wednesday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $54.4 million from its previous amount of $380.6 million. The cash value was raised by $34.2 million from its previous amount of $238.9 million.
The next Powerball drawing will take place Saturday night at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, second-prize winners have their prizes automatically doubled to $2 million, while all other non-jackpot prizes are multiplied by the Power Play number drawn that evening. All prize payout amounts, including Power Play multipied prizes, can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.
Powerball is played in 44 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Saturday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 11th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Indiana
- Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 - Indiana
- Powerball: $435 million, Jun. 10, 2017 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
- Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
- Powerball: $420.9 million, Nov. 26, 2016 - Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
- Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
- Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
- The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
- Powerball: $338.3 million, Mar. 23, 2013 - New Jersey
- Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
- Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 17
- Mega Millions: 7
- The Big Game: 1
The Big Game is the original name of Mega Millions, from the game's first drawing on Sep. 6, 1996 through May 14, 2002. The name was changed to Mega Millions starting with the May 17, 2002 drawing.
Top 25 cash value jackpots
Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.
The upcoming Powerball jackpot ranks as the 10th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
- Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $273.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($435 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
- Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $254.7 million cash, Nov. 26, 2016 ($420.9 million annuity) - Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
- Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland
- Powerball: $227.8 million cash, Feb. 19, 2014 ($425.3 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $223.3 million cash, Sep. 18, 2013 ($399.4 million annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
- Powerball: $211 million cash, Mar. 23, 2013 ($338.3 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
- Mega Millions: $197.5 million cash, Nov. 4, 2014 ($321 million annuity) - New York
- Powerball: $197.4 million cash, Sep. 30, 2015 ($310.5 million annuity) - Michigan
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 16
- Mega Millions: 9
Here we go...dreamers are starting to salivate.
Count me in!
Okay so I took a look and it went up $50 million more. Before that it past over $40 million to this point. I smell a winning ticket,2, or even 3 in less than 2 weeks. Plus there is a full moon Fri going into sat.
Gonna get me some tickets later.
Curiouser and curiouser still ......
Frankly: l don't care whether it's 1st or 10th on the jackpot scale, l just want to haul that baby over to the bank or get a slice of that delicious pie.
I will have what are called do-overs. Years when I make mistakes and learn from them.
I know that I am too generous a person. I would give too much of a lump sum away. I could be a soft touch like Emily Leach was. May she RIP. Emily was the winner who handed out $100.00 bills and a winning ticket. I will learn from her experience and will not do what she did.
I figure that I will have $10,000.00 per day to spend and invest. That is the first year.
A lot of past winners would still have their money if they did not choose the Lump Sum.
Music - Good points. Great piece on Emily, you have our thanks. As for the annuity vs lumpsum. I think it's a personal call, but since we never know when we going to buy the farm, l would want all my eggs upfront, l will divvy up those babies to how l see fit.Living longer now is in hindsight 20/20- You could be harmlessly eating a sandwich & that sucker could lodge in your throat and next thing you know , it's " voices of Angels " in the background getting louder & louder. Ever heard of a boxer, let's say Mayweather getting paid through an annuity and his 40? Ask yourself why!
Cuba Gooding Jr said it best " Show me the money."..need l add, all of it.
Almost all LP Members and the staff enjoy these humongous jackpots!
Did you know that Don McNay passed away two years ago? He was a prolific author of Lottery books. He is on YouTube. He believed that most winners should go the annuity route. He learned from others who chose either the lump sum or annuity. The Lump Sum clients lost most of it in five years. The ones who chose the annuity are still enjoying life.
noise-gate, I am not worried about you.
I'll Take It!
The $Cash$ Option .........
I've Been Planning For A Long Time!
Don McNay might actually be worse than Richard Lustig. Don's #1 piece of advice was to NEVER play the lottery. All subsequent advice stems from that so his "advice" becomes illogical.
His "books" (and I use that word loosely when talking about the rubbish he printed) was nothing but nonsensical gibberish in very large font. All of his advice could be made into one paragraph while everything else was some story about the horrors of gambling.
Since he doesn't believe anyone should play the lottery, he did zero research about what to do if you actually win. He has no clue about taxes, trusts, investments etc., nor does he know that anonymity isn't an option for most.
He doesn't know that annuities are backweighted, nor does he seem to realize that annuity takers go bankrupt with the exact same regularity as those who opt for the cash. This is the guy you're choosing to take lottery advice from?
I have never understood people who believe that an inability to budget can be overcome by an annuity option. There is no study showing that to be true. All a person has to do is remember that American lotteries never used to give out cash, they only doled money out via annuities and most of those winners still ended up broke. Why?? Because it has nothing to do with how much they have on hand, but how much they know they'll be getting so they still overspend then sell their future payments to cover immediate expenses.
If you can't budget and you can't say "no" you will ALWAYS end up broke no matter how you opt to receive payment. That's an incontrovertible fact that all studies have shown. Don McNay is an idiot.
I haven't heard any real coverage yet. I'll still get some tickets though, it's more than enough for me.