Powerball Jackpot Rolls to $400 Million for Game's 30th Anniversary
Powerball turns 30 today, and one of America's favorite lottery games is offering an awesome $400 million jackpot ($240.8 million cash option) in the next draw on Saturday.
Powerball tickets first went on sale on April 19, 1992, ahead of the first draw held on April 22. 14 states and Washington, DC participated, and the $6 million jackpot was hit right away by Bert Morlan, the 85-year-old former mayor of Brazil, Indiana.
Powerball was an innovator right from the beginning as the first lottery to use two drums in its draws (one for the white balls and one for the red Powerball), offering a compelling mix of multiple prize levels and good overall odds of winning. The concept has since caught on with many other games.
Powerball became a player favorite and is now available from 48 US lotteries. Top prize values have skyrocketed, and the game holds the world record for largest jackpot after three tickets in California, Florida and Tennessee split a $1.586 billion prize in January 2016.
Powerball has continued to keep things exciting for players, recently introducing a third weekly draw on Monday nights and a new Double Play add-on.
"For 30 years, Powerball has been America's jackpot game," Powerball Product Group Chair and Missouri Lottery Executive Director May Scheve Reardon said. "We want to thank our players who have joined us on this journey and dreamed of winning Powerball. Every Powerball ticket purchased has raised money to benefit good causes supported by US lotteries such as education, veterans, senior citizens, and environmental conservation."
Powerball ticket sales have generated over $27 billion for state services and programs. More than half of the cost of a Powerball ticket stays in the jurisdiction where it was sold, benefiting local residents. Local laws determine what each jurisdiction uses its lottery funds for.
In the past 30 years there have been 1.75 billion prize-winning tickets, of which 393 were jackpot winners. $25 billion has been paid out in jackpots, and $23 billion in non-jackpot prizes.
Jackpot Hits $400 Million for Saturday's Draw
The jackpot has been rolling for 28 draws since a player in Connecticut won $185.3 million over two months ago on Valentine's Day.
This year has produced one other top prize win, when two tickets sold in California and Wisconsin split $632.6 million on January 5 - the game's seventh-biggest top prize. Tammy and Cliff Webster of Oneida, Wisconsin subsequently came forward to claim their $316 million share of the win.
No one took home the top prize in the last draw on Wednesday, pushing the current jackpot to $400 million for the next draw on Saturday, April 23. If the jackpot is won tomorrow, it will be the 11th-largest prize in Powerball history.
You have another shot at taking home a multimillion-dollar payout tonight, Friday, April 22 - the Mega Millions jackpot stands at $22 million ($12.9 million cash value).
Tickets for both games are on sale now.
Published: Friday, April 22, 2022Updated: Friday, April 22, 2022