Powerball jackpot hits $1 billion, Kansas lottery says

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas lottery officials say the Powerball Jackpot is breaking records as pushes past the $1 billion mark.

Cory Thone with the Kansas Lottery said in a press release that this is the third time the Powerball Jackpot has reached such a height. It ranks as the seventh largest U.S. lottery jackpot and third largest Powerball Jackpot, sitting behind the world record $2.04 billion Powerball Jackpot won in 2022 and the $1.5 billion Powerball Jackpot won in 2016.

“This has turned into a historic jackpot run; this is only the third time in Powerball’s 31-year history that a jackpot has reached the billion-dollar threshold,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball Product Group Chair and Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director.

Thone said the Powerball Jackpot rolled the night of Monday, July 17 after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn, white balls 5, 8, 9, 17, 41 and red Powerball 21. The Power Play multiplier was 4X. Though the jackpot was not hit, the Monday drawing saw nearly 3 million people claim winning tickets nationwide, with lower-tier cash prizes coming to a combined $41.7 million.

"During this exciting time, we would like to remind our players to play responsibly," Svitko said. "It only takes one ticket to win this massive jackpot or any of Powerball’s other cash prizes. If you win the jackpot, sign your ticket, put it somewhere very safe, and reach out to your local lottery. Your lottery is always your best resource for information on how to claim a prize.”

Thone said two winners in Kansas for the July 17 drawing included $50,000 cash prize winners. Top-winning tickets nationally include five tickets from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New York and Pennsylvania which matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes.

Thone said the last time a Powerball Jackpot was hit was on April 19, 2023 when a ticket in Ohio matched all five white balls and the red Powerball to win the grand prize of $252.6 million. There have been 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner since that day.

Thone said if a player wins the jackpot on Wednesday night, they will have a choice between claiming either an annuitized prize valued at an estimated $1 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $516.8 million. Both prize options are before taxes. The annuity option means the winner will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% per year.

Thone said your chances of winning a prize are one in 24.9 with the odds of winning the jackpot at 1 in 292.2 million.