Powerball $1.6B jackpot | Here are the winning numbers

Medelin PinNovember 6, 2022

So far, no jackpot winner has come out of the 39 drawings since Aug. 3.

WASHINGTON — The Powerball jackpot officially broke the record for the largest prize ever offered in a U.S. lottery.

After Wednesday’s $1.2 billion Powerball drawing failed to produce a winner, Saturday’s jackpot soared to $1.6 billion after a strong sales boost.

The winning numbers for Saturday’s drawing were 28-45-53-56-69, Powerball 20 and Power Play 3.

If there are no winners on Saturday, the jackpot will be nearing the $2 billion mark — pushing the record to new heights.

Several lottery players woke up as millionaires on Thursday morning despite the lack of a grand prize winner. Players in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Virginia had million-dollar tickets matching all five numbers but not the red Powerball. Players in Arkansas, Montana and New Jersey had tickets worth $2 million, matching five numbers with the Power Play.

So far, no jackpot winner has come out of the 39 drawings since Aug. 3. The odds of winning are meager — 1 in 292.2 million.

In Wednesday’s drawing for a $1.2 billion jackpot, 46.6% of the 292.2 million possible number combinations were covered. That was up from the 36.3% of all possible number combinations that were picked for Monday night’s drawing, reflecting that ticket sales rise as jackpots climb higher.

Winners will receive $1.6 billion over 29 years if they opt for an annuity. Almost all of the winners opt for cash, which is $782.4 million for Saturday’s drawing. It might not always be the best decision, however, according to some financial experts.

Since lottery officials changed the rules and price of tickets to increase top prizes a few years ago, huge lottery jackpots have become more frequent.The latest change came in August, when Powerball officials added a third drawing day to the weekly schedule to pump prizes and sales.

The previous biggest prize was a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot won by three ticketholders in 2016. Once a winning ticket matches the drawing, the Powerball jackpot starts over again at $20 million and continues to grow each drawing until it is won.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Top 10 biggest US lottery jackpots

$1.6 billion (estimated) Powerball, Nov. 5, 2022
$1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
$1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
$1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
$1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
$768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
$758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
$731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
$687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
$656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)