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Will the next Powerball jackpot reach $1B? Current estimate is $925M

Crystal Graham
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The Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $925 million for the next drawing on Saturday night. The prize ranks as the game’s second-largest jackpot this year and the fourth-largest jackpot in the history of the game.

The Powerball jackpot increased Wednesday night after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn – white balls 1, 7, 46, 47, 63 and red Powerball 7. The Power Play multiplier was 3X.

The Wednesday drawing produced more than 1.8 million winning tickets across the country, including four tickets (none in Virginia) that matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes.

Other big wins from Wednesday night include 39 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and four tickets that won $100,000 prizes.

The Powerball jackpot was previously won on July 19, when a ticket in California matched all five white balls and the red Powerball to win a $1.08 billion jackpot.

Since then, there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner.

If a player wins the jackpot on Saturday night, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $925 million or a lump sum payment estimated at $432.4 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 5 percent each year.

Powerball tickets are $2 per play.

Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Lottery raised more than $867 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.

Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.