The Powerball jackpot surged to an estimated $1.70 billion for Wednesday night’s Christmas Eve drawing after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn in Monday’s game, lottery officials said. The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $781.3 million.
Wednesday’s prize ranks as the fourth-largest in Powerball history and among the biggest jackpots ever offered in U.S. lottery games.
“Much like the holidays, Powerball is a game that brings people together to dream big and hope for a brighter future,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “We hope this growing jackpot inspires excitement and joy, and, most importantly, good will to all. A portion of every ticket helps support programs and services that benefit local communities.”
The jackpot rolled after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn — white balls 3, 18, 36, 41 and 54, and red Powerball 7. The Power Play multiplier was 2.
While there was no jackpot winner, officials reminded players to check their tickets, as many prizes were awarded nationwide. Nine tickets matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes. Those tickets were sold in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York (two), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The drawing also produced 107 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 28 tickets that won $100,000 prizes. In California, prize amounts are pari-mutuel and depend on ticket sales and the number of winners.
In the Double Play drawing, two tickets sold in Florida and Maryland each won $500,000 after matching all five black balls. Double Play is a $1 add-on feature that allows players to use their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million.
Wednesday’s drawing will mark the 47th in the current jackpot run, setting a Powerball record for the most drawings in a single jackpot cycle. The jackpot was last won on Sept. 6, when tickets sold in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize.
Historically, the Powerball jackpot has been won once on Christmas Eve, in 2011, and four times on Christmas Day, in 1996, 2002, 2010 and 2013.
If a player wins Wednesday’s jackpot, they may choose between an annuitized prize estimated at $1.70 billion or a lump-sum payment of about $781.3 million, before taxes. The annuity option includes one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5 percent each year.
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all ticket sales remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket is sold to support public programs and services.
Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
