The Powerball jackpot continues to climb after no one matched all six numbers in the Saturday, December 31 drawing. With no winner, the grand prize has now grown to an estimated $785 million.
Jackpot Rolls to Start 2023
The lack of a winner on New Year’s Eve marks the 37th consecutive drawing without someone hitting the jackpot. The prize now ranks as the seventh-largest in Powerball history and has a cash value of $408.3 million (ABC News).
Saturday’s winning numbers were 19, 31, 40, 46, 57 and the Powerball was 23. While no ticket matched all six numbers, seven tickets matched five numbers to win $1 million apiece. Two of those tickets were sold in New Jersey and Ohio, while the others were sold in Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas (Beacon Journal).
The next Powerball drawing will occur on Monday, January 2 at 10:59 p.m. EST, giving players one more chance to win a massive jackpot prize before going back to work after the holidays (ABC News). Lottery officials estimate the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million (MarketWatch).
Surging Interest in Record Jackpot
The soaring Powerball prize has sparked a surge of interest around the country as more players try their luck. Long lines were reported at convenience stores, gas stations and other lottery retailers on Friday and Saturday.
In Georgia, lottery officials said weekly Powerball sales typically average around $1 million but jumped to $3.3 million for the Dec. 28 drawing and remained high at $2.2 million for the New Year’s Eve drawing (Augusta Chronicle).
“Jackpot fever is spreading fast across the state,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin.
Similarly in Ohio, lottery officials reported selling around $7.2 million in Powerball tickets on Saturday compared to average weekly sales of $4.5 million (Cleveland.com). Retailers were reporting 300-400 Powerball transactions per day last week.
| State | Average Weekly Powerball Sales | Sales for Dec. 31 Drawing |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $1 million | $2.2 million |
| Ohio | $4.5 million | $7.2 million |
“When the jackpot gets big, everyone starts think about what they would do if they won and sales go crazy,” said Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald.
Winning Tickets Around the Country
While no one hit the grand prize on Saturday, there were several big winners elsewhere around the country:
- A $2 million winning Powerball ticket was sold at a gas station in Grand Junction, Colorado for the Dec. 28 drawing (CBS Colorado).
- A $2 million ticket was sold in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on July 6, 2022 that is set to expire soon (Fox 29).
- A $2 million Powerball ticket was purchased at a doughnut shop in Anaheim, California for an earlier drawing (OC Register).
- Lottery officials also reported a $2 million Nebraska Powerball winner and a $2 million ticket sold in North Carolina (KETV, WCTI12).
Despite no grand prize winners lately, those windfalls show it’s still worthwhile to play Powerball even if the jackpot isn’t hit.
What Would You Do With $785 Million?
With the jackpot continuing to rise, many lottery players are dreaming about what they would do with nearly $800 million. The cash value prize now tops $408 million, which is the amount a winner would take home after taxes (ABC News).
Financial experts advise lottery winners to avoid making any big decisions immediately and instead spend time meeting with financial planners, accountants and lawyers to map out a plan. But that doesn’t stop people from imagining luxurious vacations, fancy cars and dream homes.
Popular options that get talked about are paying off mortgages and other debts, making large charitable donations, helping out friends and family, traveling around the world and launching a business. Others want to live below their means and invest the money to keep building wealth.
“I would pay off all my bills, buy a nice house and spoil my grandchildren,” said Michelle Lewis, 48, of Augusta, Georgia (Augusta Chronicle).
Michael Smith, 63, of Cleveland said he would “take care of his church first” and then invest to create generational wealth for his family (Cleveland.com).
No matter what the prize money goes toward, nearly $800 million would be life changing. And with two more drawings still to come in early 2023, lottery fever is sure to keep rising until someone finally hits the elusive jackpot.
So don’t forget to buy your Powerball tickets and good luck!
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
