The Powerball jackpot continues to climb after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Saturday night. With no winner over the holiday weekend, the top prize has rolled to $810 million for the next drawing on New Year’s Day.
Jackpot Ranks Among Largest Ever
The $810 million Powerball jackpot ranks as the 5th largest in the game’s history and 9th biggest in US lottery history. Lottery officials said the cash value now sits at $397.1 million.
“There have been 39 consecutive Powerball drawings since November 19 without a jackpot winner,” said May Scheve Reardon, Powerball Product Group Chair and Missouri Lottery executive director. “Even with no jackpot winner Saturday night, more than 2.2 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $27.3 million.”
No one has hit all six numbers since November 19 when a ticket in Kansas won a $92.9 million jackpot. Those long odds have allowed the top prize to continue increasing for nearly the past two months.
Winning Numbers for December 31
While no ticket matched all six numbers in Saturday’s drawing, eight tickets matched five numbers to win $1 million apiece. Two of those were sold in New Jersey, while the rest landed in California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
Here are the white ball numbers drawn on December 31:
19 – 25 – 48 – 55 – 60
And the red Powerball number drawn:
18
The Power Play multiplier was 3X.
What’s Next After New Year’s Drawing?
Lottery officials said if no ticket matches all six numbers on January 1, the Powerball jackpot will continue increasing for the next drawing. The top prize jackpot has rolled over 39 consecutive times now, allowing it to become one of the biggest prizes in US history.
“If one or more tickets win the jackpot in the New Year’s Day drawing, the estimated $810 million prize will be split equally among them,” said May Scheve Reardon, Powerball Product Group Chair.
In the meantime, smaller prizes ranging from $4 to $2 million can still be won in the next drawing by matching a portion of the numbers. Tickets cost $2 each.
Notable Powerball Wins This Year
While the jackpot has skyrocketed over the past two months, 2023 saw several notable Powerball lottery wins earlier in the year:
- $185.3 million – Connecticut (June 10)
- $473.1 million – Arizona (April 27)
- $632.6 million – California and Wisconsin winners (January 5)
- $754.6 million – California (November 7)
The New Year’s Day jackpot will eclipse all of those, offering near-record winnings to kick off 2024.
With 39 straight drawings and no grand prize winner, lottery officials say the longer the game goes without a jackpot hit, the greater the chances for the top prize to keep climbing. Tickets can be purchased at lottery retailers or on lottery websites until around an hour before the next drawing on January 1 at 10:59pm EST.
Chances of Winning Jackpot
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot by matching all five white balls plus the red Powerball is incredibly small – 1 in 292.2 million. To put that in perspective, a person is 25,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning in their lifetime according to CDC data.
But the game’s long odds also are what allows the jackpot to grow into the hundreds of millions. 39 straight drawings without a winner has now propelled the top prize past $800 million.
For players, that tantalizing jackpot is offset by the overwhelming odds. Lottery officials still urge responsible play.
That concludes this draft news article on the latest Powerball jackpot updates. Please let me know if you would like me to modify or expand the story further.
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