Saturday’s Powerball jackpot has jumped even higher. It’s now a whopping $1.8 billion, up from Thursday’s $1.7 billion.
Lotto managers boosted the jackpot Friday morning without explanation, though similar increases have historically been the result of strong ticket sales ahead of a record jackpot. It’s possible that more jumps could follow before the drawing.
Big picture view:
The increase means Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history, behind only the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won by a California player on Nov. 7, 2022.
Saturday’s drawing will be the 42nd since the Powerball jackpot was last won on May 31, 2025, in California, setting the record for the most consecutive drawings without a big winner. Previously, the record stood at 41 drawings, until someone hit a $1.3 billion jackpot in Oregon on April 6, 2024.
The $1.8 billion jackpot is for winners who choose to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game’s cash option, which for this drawing would be an estimated $826.4 million, before taxes.
Wednesday Powerball numbers
By the numbers:
The numbers drawn Sept. 3 were 3, 16, 29, 61, 69 and the red Powerball 22. The Power Play multiplier was 2x.
Powerball says 11 tickets matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes. Those tickets were sold in California (2), Colorado, Florida, Georgia (2), Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Four tickets matched all five white balls and increased their winnings to $2 million, by including the Power Play option for $1 more at purchase. Those tickets were sold in Michigan, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming.
There were also 117 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 36 tickets that won $100,000 prizes.
How Powerball works
The backstory:
Powerball tickets are $2 per game. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Powerball drawings are also live-streamed on Powerball.com.
