Who wants to be a billionaire? The Powerball jackpot has hit the billion-dollar mark just in time for Labor Day weekend, giving players across the country a shot at striking it rich.
Lottery officials on Friday boosted the top prize estimate from $950 million to $1 billion after reviewing national ticket sales. That’s a cash option of $453.1 million before taxes.
It’s the sixth time in the game’s 33-year history that the jackpot has reached ten digits.
The jackpot has been rolling since May 31, when a California player last hit the winning numbers. Since then, 62 tickets worth $1 million or more and more than 600 tickets worth $50,000 have been sold nationwide, according to the Powerball website.
Powerball tickets cost $2 and drawings are held at 7:59 p.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Lottery officials said ticket sales also benefit California public schools. Since the jackpot was last won on May 31, more than 68 million Powerball tickets have been sold in the state, generating over $57 million for education.
Top 10 Powerball jackpots:
- $2.04 billion — Nov. 7, 2022 (California)
- $1.765 billion — Oct. 11, 2023 (California)
- $1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016 (California, Florida, Tennessee)
- $1.326 billion — April 6, 2024 (Oregon)
- $1.08 billion — July 19, 2023 (California)
- $1 billion (estimated) — Aug. 30, 2025
- $842.4 million — Jan. 1, 2024 (Michigan)
- $768.4 million — March 27, 2019 (Wisconsin)
- $758.7 million — Aug. 23, 2017 (Massachusetts)
- $754.6 million — Feb. 6, 2023 (Washington)
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