Sixth-Largest Powerball Jackpot Up for Grabs
The first $1 billion jackpot of 2025 could be offered in the coming days after Powerball’s grand prize hit an estimated $950 million ahead of the drawing on Saturday night. Mega Millions is also up to more than $270 million.
It’s been a great year for the jackpot being won regularly in the top two multi-state lotteries, but the knock-on effect has been a lack of really big prizes to fuel excitement and generate higher ticket sales.
The current Powerball jackpot run is changing all that, though, with nobody able to match all the numbers since a Californian ticket holder won $204.5 million on May 31.
There was a chance to win $861 million in the latest drawing on Wednesday, August 27, but the jackpot proved to be out of reach and is now expected to climb almost $100 million in one go! That shows just how much interest there is in Powerball when it hits this sort of level.
The jackpot remains a long way off the record $2.04 billion from November 2022, but it is now the sixth-largest in history and could go up the list very quickly from now on. It could even surpass the $1.602 billion that currently stands as the biggest Mega Millions jackpot.
Almost all of the big winners in recent years have taken the cash option rather than the annuity, and the lump-sum payment available for Saturday’s jackpot is $428.9 million. Keep in mind that the taxman will always get his cut, whichever option you take, but the rate of withholding does vary from state to state.
Head over to the Jackpot Analysis page to calculate how much you would take home if you won Saturday’s top prize, based on where you live and whether you’d go for the cash or annuity. There’s also a table showing how much you would receive every year for the annuity payouts.
You can pick up Powerball or Mega Millions tickets from authorized retailers in participating states, while you can also choose numbers online in some locations. Regardless of how you play, you’ve only got a chance to win if you take part!
Published: Thursday, August 28, 2025Updated: Thursday, August 28, 2025
