Powerball raised its estimated Powerball billion-dollar jackpot to $1 billion for Wednesday night's drawing after stronger-than-expected ticket sales. The winner could take an estimated $433.1 million in cash before taxes. The drawing is set for 10:59 p.m. ET.
Stephen Durrell on sales
Stephen Durrell, the Powerball Product Group chair and Kansas Lottery executive director, said the jackpot growth reflects an extraordinary level of player interest. He also said Powerball is seeing strong participation from both new players in the United Kingdom and millions of Americans as the prize reaches the $1 billion mark.
Monday's ticket sales rose more than 86 percent compared with the previous Monday drawing. Powerball officials had raised the estimate from $975 million, and the new figure makes it the eighth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and the biggest U.S. lottery jackpot offered so far in 2026.
Powerball ticket sales
Tickets cost $2 and are sold across 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom. Powerball says more than half of the money generated from each ticket stays in the jurisdiction where it was purchased, and it says the game has generated an estimated $38 billion for public programs and other causes since 1992.
The jackpot is huge, but the odds of hitting it are still 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9, which is why the field broadens even when the top prize climbs. Wednesday's drawing is the point at which the size of the prize meets the size of the challenge.
Florida drawing studio
The drawing will take place from Powerball's drawing studio in Florida. Players in the covered jurisdictions now know the numbers that matter most: $1 billion on top, $433.1 million in cash, and a 10:59 p.m. ET result that will decide whether the jackpot keeps growing or lands with one ticket.
