The Powerball lottery jackpot has continued its rapid growth, reaching $572 million for the Monday, December 18th drawing after no ticket matched all six numbers. This catapults the prize to become the 9th largest in Powerball history.
Jackpot Rolls to Nearly $600 Million
With no jackpot winner on Monday, the top prize rolls over and increases for the next drawing on Wednesday. Lottery officials estimate the amount could reach $585 million or more depending on ticket sales in the coming days. This would make the Christmas week Powerball drawing one of the largest ever.
“Lottery jackpots are typically bigger in the holiday season, and this Powerball is now entering historic territory,” said Powerball Product Group Chair Drew Svitko. “A jackpot of this size captures the interest of players across the country. We could definitely see the jackpot climb higher before the next drawing on Wednesday night.”
The cash option for Wednesday’s drawing is projected at $308.9 million. Even if there are multiple jackpot winners, each can take home a life-changing fortune.
Winning Numbers for Monday’s $572 Million Jackpot
While no ticket won the grand prize on Monday, over a million players won smaller prizes totalling $13.9 million. The winning numbers drawn were:
12, 18, 23, 30, 46, with Powerball 20
Two tickets (from Nebraska and New Jersey) matched the five white balls to win $1 million each. 38 tickets matched four white balls plus the Powerball to win $50,000 each. Other smaller prizes were won in every jurisdiction that sells Powerball tickets.
In total, there were 1,348,111 winning tickets at all prize levels in the Monday drawing.
| Prize Level | # of Winners | Prize Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Match 5 White Balls | 2 | $1 million |
| Match 4 White Balls + Powerball | 38 | $50,000 |
| Match 4 White Balls | 1,098 | $100 |
| Match 3 White Balls + Powerball | 16,750 | $100 |
| Match 3 White Balls | 330,543 | $7 |
| Match 2 White Balls + Powerball | 499,979 | $7 |
| Match 1 White Ball + Powerball | 795,598 | $4 |
| Match Powerball | 103,101 | $4 |
Table 1 – Monday, December 18th Powerball Winners by Prize Level
The two million dollar tickets from Monday were sold in New Jersey and Nebraska:
- Tom’s Food Market on Springfield Ave in Cranford, NJ
- Casey’s General Store on Highway 75 in Dakota City, NE
“It’s great to see big winners in the Powerball game,” said New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James Carey. “We look forward to the jackpot getting even higher and our players winning more prizes on Wednesday.”
Largest Powerball Jackpots in History
If the Powerball jackpot reaches $585 million or more for the Wednesday, December 20 drawing, it would become the 8th largest prize in the game’s history. Here are the all-time records:
- $2.04 billion – November 7, 2022 (California) – World record lottery jackpot
- $1.586 billion – January 13, 2016 (California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $768.4 million – March 27, 2019 (Wisconsin)
- $758.7 million – August 23, 2017 (Massachusetts)
- $731.1 million – January 20, 2021 (Maryland)
- $699.8 million – October 4, 2021 (California)
- $687.8 million – October 27, 2018 (Iowa, New York)
- $632.6 million – January 5, 2022 (California, Wisconsin)
- Potentially $585 million – December 20, 2023
- $590.5 million – May 18, 2013 (Florida)
If the jackpot reaches the top 8, the next question will be – who will win it and in what state? Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Players Flock to Buy Tickets Nationwide
The soaring Powerball jackpot is creating a surge of ticket sales at lottery retailers and online in states that allow subscription purchases. This includes steady customers as well as first time players hoping to strike it rich before Christmas.
“Whenever we get enormous jackpots like this, it’s great for our beneficiary programs like education, veterans services, senior citizens and more,” said Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald. “We want to keep this excitement going and can’t wait to see who wins on Wednesday night!”
Retailers in Powerball states are preparing for another rush of ticket buyers leading up to the next drawing. Some will extend hours on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings allowing last minute purchases right before the 10:59pm ET deadline. Players are encouraged to buy early to avoid long lines. Most state lotteries also allow online subscription orders in advance.
Winning the Jackpot – Cash or Annuity?
Whoever wins the grand prize in Powerball has an important decision to make – take the lump cash option or the annuity payments over 29 years. The cash value is estimated at $308.9 million if the jackpot rolls to $585 million. The annuity choice gives the full advertised amount in graduated payments.
Financial experts generally recommend taking the cash, which for this jackpot would give a winner over $300 million immediately in the bank. This allows complete control and flexibility on how to use and invest the money compared to scheduled annuity installments. Winners should still consult a team of lawyers, wealth managers and tax strategists upon claiming a prize of this magnitude.
State and federal taxes will take over a third of the cash option immediately. State taxes vary on lottery winnings depending on jurisdiction. The top federal tax bracket is currently 37% on income above $539,900 for single tax filers. This would apply fully to a Powerball jackpot winner.
No matter how the prize is claimed, the winner will take home an amazing fortune that will dramatically change their life. And if no ticket matches all six numbers on Wednesday, the jackpot could quickly grow to be the largest ever over the busy holiday season.
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.
