As many children await what Santa will bring under the Christmas tree, some parents are likely dreaming about what they would do with a billion dollars.
The Virginia Lottery announced the estimated jackpot for Monday’s Powerball drawing is $1.6 billion. The cash value is approximately $735.3 million.
While there weren’t any million-dollar winners in Virginia, six people in Virginia got a nice windfall right before Christmas. In the Commonwealth, one ticket won $150,000, and five each won $50,000 in Saturday night’s drawing, according to the Virginia Lottery.
The six numbers drawn were white balls 4, 5, 28, 52, 69 and red Powerball 20. The Power Play multiplier was 3.
The ticket that won $150,000 was bought at:
- Richmond: Publix, 4591 South Laburnum Ave.
The five tickets that each won $50,000 were bought at:
- Chantilly: 7-Eleven, 14533 Lee Road
- Norfolk: Food Lion, 1859 East Little Creek Road
- Falls Church: BJ’s, 6607 Wilson Blvd.
- Powhatan: Murphy USA, 1860 Stavemill Crossing Lane
- Online: Using the Virginia Lottery mobile app
Monday’s jackpot ranks as the fourth largest in Powerball history.
“Powerball is giving players a chance to dream bigger than ever this holiday season,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball product group chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “Every ticket sold not only offers the chance at a life-changing prize but also supports important public programs and services in communities nationwide.”
All Virginia Lottery profits, including those from the sale of Powerball tickets, go to K-12 education in Virginia.
Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
If a player wins Saturday’s jackpot, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize estimated at $1.5 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $686.5 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by five percent each year.
The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. The odds of winning any prize are one in 25.